Stay
by FictionFreak95
Summary: Sometimes a blast from your past is exactly what you need to ignite your future. AH, BxE.
1. Chapter 1, Linger

**A/N: This chapter has been once over'd by SueBee the beta fairy - and she is one grammarific lady (I do play a mean game of "tweak-tweak-post" though, so please to be forgiving errors I might have made after she perfectionized it).**

**It was also pre-read by mama and is supported by friends I am lucky to have in my life. This is my take on CEO-ward.**

**Music for this chappy might = "Sometime Around Midnight" by a group called The Airborne Toxic Event (thanks to mama).**

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**Chapter 1. "Linger"**

I admit it.

I'm a tad obsessive compulsive about my job. But let's be honest, people know this about me. My friends, my family, in fact, anyone who's had any type of relationship with me, business or otherwise, knows this. So I often wonder, why the dirty looks and sarcastic remarks?

I'm actually being quite thoughtful when you think about it. I could be on the phone, leaving for the office even, instead of texting my assistant as I wait with the other nine people in this "conga line" I've found myself a part of.

Texting takes forever and auto-correct has never been my friend.

I'm sacrificing here.

It's not like we're doing anything else at the moment anyway and yet, dirty looks galore.

On the other hand, I'm not stupid. I know it's bad form to a certain degree to do this here, but I can't let this issue sit for the rest of the day. If I do, who knows what kind of bullshit I'll find myself knee deep in on Monday morning. Besides, this is what I'm paid to do, take care of the business.

When I hear the matrimonial type music begin to play on the other side of the door, I try to hurry it up. Then I feel an elbow jabbing me in my side.

"Put it away, Edward."

I type out the last few words and do as the woman beside me says, but when my phone buzzes again, not seconds later, I'm tempted to pull it out and see what Kate's reply is to my instructions. I don't, but only because my hands are entrapped now. The door opens, giving us the cue to get our asses into the ballroom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you … Mr. and Mrs. Cullen!"

The clapping and hooting and hollering begins after the DJ makes his dramatic announcement, and we make our way into the room of people who are way too happy to see this day come. I keep to the program. I smile and nod. But I'm feeling so wound up about wanting to know what's going on back at the office that I can barely breathe.

I'm surprised I made it through the ceremony.

Too many things on my mind, I guess.

Even as I think it, I start silently listing out the things that wait for me back at the office.

_Mergers._

I see my parents, beaming with pride and grin over at them.

_Acquisition possibilities._

A few business associates clap a little too loudly as we pass by. I roll my eyes.

_The board of directors meeting I have first thing Monday morning that I'm not at all prepared for yet._

People I don't know at all are smiling through tear soaked faces and I cannot seem to keep myself from scowling at them.

I mean, what's with that?

Like it or not, the tears remind me of another something that's been on and off of my mind this past week and I'm stopped in my tracks for a few seconds when the bridesmaid I've been assigned to last minute today playfully pulls at my arm.

"You okay, Edward?"

I smile for her and force myself to focus on the moment at hand.

"Fine," I say and then we go our separate ways, finding our assigned seats at the wedding party's table.

Announcements are made, toasts are given and I manage to reduce my anxiety a bit through several more electronic communications with my assistant. When it's my turn to toast the bride and groom, I am oh so glad I wrote this shit down because I never would have remembered what to say in that moment.

I'm also lucky it's not a very long speech. That was the Best Man's job. Which isn't me, I'm too busy for that shit.

I tell people about the night Emmett and Rose met and how third wheel doesn't even begin to cover the awkward drive home that evening. I skip over how I met my now ex, Charlotte, via Rose and skip on to how, based on their rabbit like tendencies, they will most likely beat out that couple on reality TV that has 18 children. Or is it 21 now?

Rose gives me the evil eye when she hears the vibrating phone in my pocket and sees my hesitation, debating whether I can take it unnoticed. I play it off like it hadn't even crossed my mind to answer the text I know is from Kate, then end my speech by telling everyone how much it means to me to have a brother like Emmett and that Rose is a great addition to our family.

When I sit back down, I read the text, then excuse myself to go use the restroom, aka, make a phone call. Kate is a great assistant, she's been with me for years, but sometimes I cannot seem to be specific enough for her via text.

When I return to my seat, I'm rewarded with a look from Emmett that says he's on the verge of disappointment if I don't watch my step so I'm careful for a while, I don't want to ruin his day.

I love my brother. He's been there for me every time I've needed him and he's an intricate part of why our father's company has been so successful over the years, but he'll never understand my obsession with the job. We're just built differently that way, I guess. It's why he's in Sales and I'm in charge of the daily Operations of the company.

It's also why, when he catches me texting again, just after he's finished his first dance with Rose, that he grabs the cell phone out of my hands and tosses it into a nearby trash can.

It's probably cracked. Useless. But I can't get mad at him. It's not like I don't know him by now and have another stashed away somewhere, it's just going to be an inconvenience for me to go get it.

He replaces the cell with a shot glass filled with clear liquid that I'm suspecting is not water.

"Drink with me, bro," he says and I smile for him. Then try to give the glass back.

"Congratulations, Em, you and Rose ... you guys are gonna be really happy together ... forever, even."

"You're diverting … drink," he insists, pushing the beverage back at me.

"I don't think it's a ..."

"Bullshit," he tells me with a stern voice. The volume he's speaking to me in gains us a little attention from the people around us, but they quickly go back to their conversations when they see it's just me he's talking to.

"I'm finally married , goddammit. No longer considered available in most parts of the world and you, my most favorite brother of all time, are going to drink this vodka shot with me."

Emmett's supernatural ability to bully me into drinking has never ceased to amaze me.

Well, it's not really so much bullying as it is me knowing he won't let up until I give in to his demands.

I raise the glass for a toast between just the two of us.

"I'm your _only _brother, Emmett," I inform him. "And you were no longer considered available the minute you laid eyes on Rose."

He laughs out loud with a hearty, "Amen to that!" before we throw the shots back simultaneously and finish them off in one fell swoop.

It burns on the way down but I don't mind ... although I'm pretty sure those shots were doubles.

He takes our empties and places them on the table behind us, then he lifts two more glasses off of a tray that passes us by. These are not full of the same clear liquid as our previous drinks, but there's still no mistaking what awaits us inside them.

I shake my head. "I'm not doing tequila, Em, I have a ..."

"Meeting, blah blah blah," he mocks and hands me one. "It's not just any old tequila, Ed ... it's Patron Seeeeeeeeeeelver ... so don't waste Rose's father's good money."

I've seen him like this a few times before. Most recently was the night he announced that Rose had accepted his marriage proposal. I was hungover for days. I know I'm in trouble.

By the time our fourth, maybe fifth shot is had, I'm laughing like a hyena at something incredibly stupid he's just said about the slit in the dress of the wedding band's lead singer. What he said doesn't even make sense, but he's got tears in his eyes. He can't even speak and I'm right behind him.

"Something to eat with that alcohol, guys?" a woman suggests and I'm jolted out of the fit of laughter between Emmett and I like an emergency brake has been pulled.

Before I can let my mind adjust and react to seeing the unexpected wedding attendee standing next to us, her smile disarms me, just like it always did.

The first thoughts that burst through me include the fact that it _amazes _me I could recognize the sound of her voice even after all these years ... what in the hell is she doing serving hors d'oeuvres at my brother's wedding and lastly, how is it I'd nearly forgotten about her?

I'm immediately taken back to the day we met as kids and how the first thing I noticed about her even then was that smile ... and those freckles.

She was my first experience with having a girl as a friend that wasn't my girlfriend and ironically, was also the root cause of my very first inappropriate thoughts about girls.

She was my tree climbing buddy ... and my first kiss.

We were so close back then but her parents left one summer and I never saw her again. We tried to keep in touch for a while, but you know ... life.

"BellaBee?"

She blushes a little, but not to the point where she comes off embarrassed as she adjusts the tray she's holding. "No one's called me that since you, Edward."

I try to laugh but it comes off as more of a snort.

"What are you doing here?"

Bella eyes Emmett. "Well, I..."

"Dude," he slides over to stand next to her, glassy eyes fixated on me. "I totally forgot to tell you..." His hooks around her shoulders. I can't help but watch his hand squeeze a little. "Bells here did all the catering for us." He pulls her into him. "Total last minute too. Sasha bailed on Rosey last week because of ... um ... well, you know ... and then we just happen to run into Bella downtown at a bar one night ... she said she was back in town ... then we found out she was in the business ...she really did us a solid."

I don't realize I'm scowling at the way Emmett's touching her until Bella tilts her head at me with curiosity in her eyes. Then she looks up and smiles at my brother just like she used to when we'd all be standing around at the ice cream truck making big plans for hide and go seek once it got dark out.

"It was _you _who did _me _a favor, Emmett. Really, with all the free publicity I'm getting today, I don't think I'll have a problem getting traffic."

He grabs one of the shrimp rolls off of her tray and stuffs it into his mouth. "Itffs your culinary skillfs that are gonna get you the bivv, Bella, I've got nuffn' to do wiff it."

She cooks. I remember that. She always liked cooking. But it's not her skills in the kitchen I'm thinking about. It's her lips. And how perfectly they move when she speaks. I can only vaguely recall feeling them against mine when we were both hitting puberty and I get this underlying urge to get that back somehow.

An awkward moment of silence as the two of them notice the way I'm gawking at Bella's mouth and I blink myself back into the moment.

"You moved back? Permanently?" I ask her and she nods but is distracted.

"Long story. Oh..." she notices something going on behind me, "I think it's time to refresh the fruit bar."

I'm entranced. I literally cannot take my eyes off of her. "It's ... _really_ good to do you."

Her eyes widen a little and Emmett lets out the loudest guffaw mankind has ever heard.

"Shit." I laugh too. "I mean _see _you ... of course. How would I know anything about _doing _you?"

Bella's eyebrow raises into what I almost think is a challenge and then she pushes some hair behind her ear and excuses herself.

"Dude."

Emmett's still laughing his ass off. I'm beet red, I'm sure.

"You kill me."

"You knew she was ..." I'm completely taken aback and can't shake it off. It's probably the alcohol. "You didn't mention it," I tell Emmett as i watch Bella swish and sway her way through the crowd. It's like she's known these people her whole life, the way she smiles easily and laughs at whatever they're saying.

I wish I could do that at investor meetings.

"Had ya skipped out on work last week like I asked you to, you'd have known too. She met us over at Delaney's for drinks. I was gonna surprise you, but you never showed, as usual."

I look over at him, halfway annoyed. "It's not like I don't see you every day, Emmett."

He shrugs off my insinuation that he's been keeping secrets from me.

"It completely slipped my mind ... been a pretty hectic week ... in case you didn't notice."

Right.

Okay.

He's forgiven.

This time.

I see Rose making her way through the sea of people she's invited to this thing. I know she's ready for some quality new husband time with my brother, so I warn him she's on the way and we do one more shot together.

I have to appease him. It's his big day.

"Edward, thank you _so _much for those _sweet _words during your speech," she says with a smile. I know she's drunk too. She's not usually quite that nice to me, seeing how I'm typically the guy that keeps her husband at work late. Even when I let him go home, I usually follow him for some late night evening talks about better ways to get more sales for the company.

I'll take what I can get though.

"Congrats, Rose," I tell her and then she hugs me.

"I'm _so _glad you made it today ... really I am."

She's squeezing me a little too tightly. Emmett and I laugh because we know she's crossed that line. She won't remember most of today. Which is gonna suck for her considering she's spent the past year making her self and the rest of us nuts over planning this thing.

"Catch ya later, bro," Emmett says with a wave as Rose drags him to go mingle some more and I go to find the bar.

Not before my mother finds _me _though.

"Dance with me, young man, before you can no longer stand up, much less move to music."

I oblige her. She's my mother. And she's got a point. If I don't dance with her at least once today, I'll never hear the end of it.

I scan the crowd.

"Where's dad?" I ask.

She sighs. "He's too much like you, Edward. Luckily for him, Emmett isn't as concerned with how much time he spends with _him _today."

What she says grabs my attention. "Did he go back to the office? Should I..."

She shakes her head and cuts me off. "He's just outside, dear. Something about the upcoming acquisition meeting with the board."

My head is woozy, but even in this state, the thought of that meeting makes me go into work mode.

"Maybe I should..."

This time I'm cut off by what I see. Or rather who, which is Bella.

My eyes train themselves on her as she leans up against the bar and talks easily with the bartender there. Suddenly I'm no longer interested in what my father is up to.

My mother goes on to tell me things but I don't hear a word she's saying. I'm too interested in what Bella might be saying to the bartender that makes him eye fuck her while she's not looking.

When the song ends, I smile down at my mother and kiss her cheek, telling her I'll see her later on. Then I walk straight over to where Bella and the bar-man are laughing about something that comes off like a secret.

She's clearly familiar with him. I just wonder how familiar.

He pulls a bottle of water out of his mini fridge and twists open the top before handing it over to her.

"Don't make me cut you off now, Bella," he warns her playfully with a wink and then eyes me with a "bro-code" type nod before going to help some guests who are waiting for him.

I roll my eyes as best I can before turning to Bella.

"So ..." I tilt my head sideways at "Rick Suave".

She shakes her head, watching him.

"Nah, he's trying, but we really just met today when I came in to set up."

I nod, twist my body to size up the guy who's playing for Bella's attentions, then turn back to her. She's got her head tipped back, taking a long drink of that water he handed her. Her neck is long and smooth and my stare dips to the "V" that her white, button down shirt makes. There's only the slightest tease of a view of her breasts, but it's enough.

She lowers the water away from her lips and licks them. Her eyes are on me and I know I'm only feeling the courage of liquid when I bounce my eyebrows once for her. I would never do that sober.

Her eyes narrow. She smiles.

"I gotta get back," she says, then nods at the drink in my hand. "Take it easy on those, Edward."

It's good advice but as I stand around with colleagues and mingle with family, pretending to partake in conversations, I manage to drink the night away after all, while I watch Bella work the reception.

Eventually I'm informed that it's time to wave the happy couple off, so I make my way outside in time to witness Emmett swoop Rose up into his arms like the animated goon that he is. I grin while he swings her around once or twice and then he lays a kiss on her that would probably be considered PG-13, teetering on R in most states. He's drunk now, but he would do it even if he wasn't.

After the public display of affection ends, they disappear into the limo and drive off into the proverbial sunset for their honeymoon.

I'm the last to leave the sidewalk and I'm swaying a little as I watch them go.

There's no reason for me to be here anymore and I look around for my car when I remember, I hitched a ride with Emmett this morning.

Mom and Dad were supposed to be my ride back to the condo but I think I'm pretty much done for the night and don't feel like waiting around for them, so I head back inside to grab my coat and call a car to come pick me up.

If I take a bottle of Advil before passing out tonight, _maybe _I can get some work done tomorrow since I've slacked off so much today.

It was completely irresponsible of me to let Emmett get me drunk off my ass at his wedding.

In the middle of chastising myself for my misguided blame placing, I laugh, because there's no way I'm getting any work done tomorrow.

I stumble back into the building and start down a hallway that looks to me like it could take me to the coat room. It's while I'm searching every pocket I can for my cell phone, becoming more and more confused as to where I left the damn thing that I trip over nothing in the middle of the hallway and run into BellaBee.

And I mean ... I run smack into the woman.

Her tray goes flying and the food that used to be on it is sprawled out all over the floor. It takes me a few seconds to get my bearings, but in the end, I manage to save Bella's head from hitting the floor as well. I'm laughing and she's laughing, but I feel the need to stop when our eyes meet.

"Are you okay?" we both ask each other, then laugh even harder.

"Jinx," we say, together again. Just like we did when we were kids.

"Jinx again." She's quicker this time, but I don't care. It's just nice having her in my arms like this.

A few people pass us by but their concerns are snuffed out when they see we're fine.

"Wanna let me up now, cowboy?" she teases. I realize I've got her in a dip hold still and I stand the two of us upright, grinning down at her once I'm done.

"I was watching you."

She picks up the tray she dropped when I slammed into her and starts to collect the food off of the floor that went with it. I try to help but I'm clumsy.

"You drunk, Edward?"

The hair gets tucked behind her ear like earlier and I think I'm liking that ear.

I'm liking it a lot.

I'm also realizing this is the most fun at any function I've had in a long damn time.

"Maybe." I huff a laugh out at how ridiculous that sounds, even to me.

She's sorting, trying to find anything salvageable, and tossing the rest. Then finally she gives the food a long, hard look and tosses it all.

"I'm sure you were watching a lot of women out there tonight," she tells me with her eyes on her work.

"There were other women out there?"

She stops for a second or two to eye me carefully. I try to wink but I'm pretty sure it comes off as more of a slow blink of some sort.

Bella giggles. It's the best thing I've heard in ages.

"Well," she tells me, then leans in like it's a secret. "I might have been watching you too."

"Oh really," I say and she nods back. I see that blush in her cheeks again, but then suddenly she goes back to fixing her trays and dishes and food yours truly has managed to fuck up for her.

I feel like she's trying to end the conversation but I don't want it to end.

"Do you remember, BellaBee?"

"Hmmm?"

Still paying me no mind.

"The kiss? Do you remember?"

"Kiss?" she asks, as though she's attempting to understand what I'm trying to say, but it appears she's too busy fixating on inanimate objects to really concentrate.

I lean up against the wall and watch her body move. It's like she's planning out the next ten to fifteen things she needs to do while she's still working on the first thing and, in a way, I see me in her. Always thinking, always planning ... always prepared.

"The one when we were kids ... our firsts ... remember?"

"Umm ..." she's thinking. I don't get why she's being so non-committal about it. I remember it like it was yesterday and, when she doesn't say anything else, I push her some more.

"It was right before you left me."

Nothing. She won't look at me.

"BellaBee."

I expect to be ignored again and I'm okay with that. I'm quite content just watching her work, for her to keep on doing what she's doing with all those plates she's juggling, but suddenly she stops. For a split second, it seems as though she's contemplating something but only to the trained eye that knows what contemplation _looks _like. Eyes that belong to me.

I've seen it many times in meetings with the board, or Quarterly reviews, where I'm trying to sell pay raises ... I'm well versed in contemplation.

I'm trying to put a name to the next expression that crosses her face when suddenly her body is pressed against me and I'm now flush against the wall. She finally lets her eyes meet mine and those sweetly shaped, lusciously wet, perfectly postured lips of hers are kissing me before I can say a word.

It takes me by surprise, but I welcome it. It might have been years upon years, but she fits right up against me still. It brings back that crazy, mixed up feeling I had the first time we did this.

Her next words stun me, more so than the kiss.

"I never stopped thinking about you, Edward," she tells me breathlessly. "I missed you the past twenty years and I promised myself a long time ago that if I ever saw you again, I'd kiss you better than that thirteen year old version of me."

She puts her mouth on mine again and she's kissing me better, alright.

Her fingers find the hair behind my neck and pull while my hands move to her hips. I hold on tight to what feels like a dream, and when she makes this sound ... a simple hum ... it cracks something open inside of me.

I spin us around, pressing Bella to the wall now. I get no resistance, only momentum.

My hands slide from her waist to her ass and they pin her against me for no other reason but to let her know what's she's done to my hormones once again.

When our lips break apart, her breathing is quick and ragged. I don't want any of what's happening to stop, so I move a hand to behind her head and continue to kiss the hell out of her. She tastes likes excitement and her tongue is perfectly talented in teasing mine to no end.

I have to breathe, so I pull away only to eye her lips that are red and swollen now. I find Bella's eyes ... those huge deep, brown eyes that haven't changed since the day she left. We don't say a word, but I know what she's thinking. We're both adults here. I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that … this is happening.

She quickly reaches over to turn the knob of a door not too far from where we're grinding against each other mercilessly. Then she slides over, pushes the door open, and moves into the room, pulling me along with her.

I kick the door shut behind me, and when I do, the room is suddenly pitch black.

I hear Bell moving but she's not far away.

"Where are we?"

"Supply closet," she breathes.

"And what are we..."

I'm silenced again by her mouth, and this time, when she presses herself against me, she takes my hand in hers and leads it to her breast.

Her very naked, very full and magnificent breast.

This time it's me who lets out a hum. In some ways, this is not the girl I remember. When I was twelve, she never would have let me feel her up. Kissing was one thing, touching her boob was a whole other level of commitment back then, but now …. She wants me to explore, so I do, and holy shit BellaBee has boobs. She has really, really nice boobs.

_Tits. She has nice tits. Only twelve year olds says boobs._

My fingers find her nipple and pinch it slightly between them. She likes this, I note, and I'm rewarded with her hand against my dick.

BellaBee is touching my dick.

BellaBee... who came to my house for dinner on more occasions than I can remember and was more like a fixture in our family than a friend who living down the street.

The girl who skinned her knees, challenged me to cotton candy eating competitions at every carnival we attended and kicked every guys ass in track without blinking an eye.

What universe am I in?

I groan and push forward, wanting more.

"Bella," I can only whisper into the room.

She replies with a hum, pulling at my pants until they're undone.

She unzips them and slips a hand into my boxers. It feels so fucking good but...

"What are we doing?"

"Having sex," she tells me, then her hand massages the bulge in my slacks. "I thought I was prepared to see you …" _kiss. _"I've been thinking about you all night …" _kiss... rub. _ "and then the way you were looking at me …" _kiss kiss. _ "watching me …" _deep kiss. _"I just can't stop thinking about wanting you inside of me."

Holy.

My head is spinning. She saw me watching her?

I'm somewhat torn between wanting this to happen and worrying about where we are.

Wanting this, of course, is winning out because, well, I'm fucking buzzed beyond recognition and after all, this _is _BellaBee, but still ...

"I don't have anything," I tell her. In all honesty, I've never really been a public sex kinda guy, and even if I was, Charlotte wasn't.

"I'm covered, EC," she says, and it doesn't escape me that she just used the old nickname she'd given me all those years ago, either.

It doesn't take long to make a decision after that.

"Okay," I concede and she's fast and furious again with her movements. I'm getting a little frantic with my own as I maneuver my way around her clothes to unbutton the caterer's slacks she has on.

"You feel so fucking good," I mutter, letting my hand move to the spot between her legs that I'm feeling needy for in a bad way all of a sudden.

Sexy sounds she lets out tell me I'm doing all the right things here and when she finishes freeing me from my boxers, I push them down and kick them off along with my pants and the shoes I wore today.

She wraps a hand around my dick and strokes soft and slow, with purpose and poise, and she makes me forget that we're in a fucking supply closet.

I don't know if it's the fact that the room is so dark and my senses are enhanced by that or that I'm drunk and hornier than I remember being in this lifetime or that it's BellaBee, for Christ's sake, but I lose myself momentarily and have to take a few seconds to try and gain some control before I come in her hand like the inexperienced twelve year old she remembers.

Our foreheads touch. Then our lips again.

I can't get enough of those lips.

I push her slacks down past her hips and she releases my dick so she can wiggle the rest of the way out of her clothes. Then she pushes herself up onto something ... a table of some sort, I'm guessing.

I spread her legs and let my hands slide along them like a pathway to where they meet; where it's hot and welcoming. My thumb grazes to feel how wet she is. She scoots forward unexpectedly and my thumb enters her.

Fuck she's wet.

She is so fucking wet.

I lose my wits along with everything else that might be trying to tell to to slow down.

I lick my palm and stroke myself, then replace my thumb with my dick and push without another thought.

An explosion of feelings take hold of me when I'm inside her. I can't quite name any one of them but they're all strong enough to make me grope her like the teenager I am at the moment.

It's quick and dirty and it's fast and it's slow and it's hard and rough and fuck, I don't want it to end.

Bella pulls herself up and wraps her hands around me and holds on while I push and pull and grab and can't even seem to get enough of what she's offered up to me. No thrust is deep enough. No roll of my hips can satiate my need to bury everything I have into her, and she takes it all with what seems to be the same impatience as mine.

We're sweaty and sticky and hot and heavy and my lips are finding hers again as my thumb reaches down between the two of us to find her clit and give her everything I can before it's too late and I explode.

I rub and dip and rub some more, and the way she's moving against me tells me I'm getting it right, so I keep it up until she can't take it anymore. And when she comes, I want to freeze time and stay right there in that moment the rest of the night but it's not long after that when I'm back to holding onto her hips and feel the onset of my own orgasm making way.

It feels like it just began when it's over, and we're using each other for leverage as we catch our breath and come back to reality.

It's quiet, and when I feel like I can breathe again, I lean forward to find her lips one more time.

This kiss is slow and deep. It moves with purpose. It takes it's time.

"I wasn't expecting that," I confess into the darkness, once we've stopped.

Bella lets out a small sigh. "Sometimes the best things that ever happen to me are unexpected."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she says. "I mean, I never expected to be best friends with a scrawny kid named Edward when I was younger, but those were the best years of my life."

Once again, I'm taken aback by what she just told me, and I can't think of anything to say to her.

"I have to go," she whispers before I can come up with something. Then she hops down from where she is, and I hear the rustling of clothes as she puts herself back together and explains a little more for me.

"I have to clean up and then I'm gonna need to settle things up with the bride's father and pay the staff I hired for today, so ..."

"No ... right, yeah, I get it," I assure her, trying not to make this awkward. I find my pants and pull them back on. When we leave the room, the light from the hallway makes me squint. Luckily, it's still abandoned. The coast is clear.

Bella smiles one of the most genuine smiles I've ever seen as she leaves me standing there and starts to round a corner.

"It was _really _great doing you, Edward."

I laugh at how she's still able to throw my insane ramblings back at me, and I wave.

"Welcome home, BellaBee," I tell her, then I lean up against the wall when I no longer see her.

I rub at my face, finding it hard to believe I just fucked a girl from my twelve year old past in a broom closet. It's not like me. And not that I'm complaining, but at thirty three, I should know better than that. Any one of mine and Dad's and Emmett's business associates could have happened by and heard me in there with her and ...

I can't even think about it. I have to just thank my lucky stars that no one did and move on.

I straighten myself up and leave our hallway to find a phone and call that car I was thinking about earlier. I don't see Bella while I'm waiting, and when the driver arrives, I quickly slip into the back seat. I tell James to take me home as I watch the building carefully, then he tells me he'll wake me when we get there.

Inside the condo, I'm barely able to get myself undressed, but I manage to fall out of everything down to my boxers. I tumble into bed, forgetting all about my plan to take a bottle of Advil. I'm sure I'll regret it in the morning, but I'm just too fucking tired to worry anymore. It's been a long day.

My head is spinning and I feel a wave of the blackout that's about to encompass me, but somewhere in the haze of my mind, I remember Bella's hand inside my shorts and how it felt to hold her ... to kiss her ... to be inside of her.

I smile remembering the moment I saw her tonight and how incredibly happy I felt to see her again.

"_I missed you," _she told me.

She missed me.

"I missed you too, BellaBee," I tell the empty room, then I'm out like a light, dreaming about climbing trees and swinging on tire swings with one the coolest girls I know, in the dead heat of summer, back in 1992.

* * *

**A/N: FanFiction... I like to write it. I hope you enjoy it. And thanks for taking the time to read it.**

**LOVE and xoxoxoxo**


	2. Chapter 2, Hang Out

**A/N: My undying gratitudiousness goes to SueBee for beta'ing and to Mama Obsmama for pre-reading, finding me perfect songs and making me forget to be stressed about shit. Most of all thanks to you all for reading, as always, from the bottomless pit that is my heart. I love you guys.  
**

**Song: Black Crowes, "She Talks to Angels"**

* * *

******Chapter 2. "Hanging Out"**

I'd never given much thought to how I would die. But dying while making a good impression on BellaBee seems like a good way to go.

"We're pretty far up."

"I know," she giggles. "Isn't it great! Look at the view from up here!"

I look down, against my better judgment. It's not great. It's very far from great. But I can't tell her that, she'll think I'm a wuss. I can't have BelleBee thinking I'm a wuss.

"Yeah. Great."

She's eying this patch of grass below us and I know that look. That's her crazy idea look. She's actually thinking about jumping.

I put a hand on her arm.

"You're not gonna jump."

This confuses her. "Why not?"

"Y... you could hurt yourself. Break a leg, die..." _And then I'm gonna have to jump down after you and do CPR._

Another giggle and she swats at my hand. "Stop being so careful, EC. This is what kids do."

It's not what I do. I'm a kid. Doesn't that count for something?

Before I can make a case, she jumps with a long, loud, "Woohoo!" as she drops to the ground below.

I'm amazed by her courage and I smile wide. That's my best friend down there. But my hands are sweating. I'm nervous. I know that in a minute or less she's gonna look up and expect me to mimic her fearless act. I've followed her into caves and lakes, private property and abandoned houses, but this is different.

I swallow hard.

I thought she was just making me climb this tree to try and get me over my fear of heights, but this ... this is ...

"Bella-bella-fo-fella-fee-fi-fo-fella!" my brother sings from off in the distance somewhere. "Bella!"

She shakes her head and laughs, watching him as he approaches, asking if she's seen me today. It's a stupid question on Emmett's part, but I cut him some slack. He's been under a lot of pressure lately with High School and all.

Bella points up. His eyes find me, nerves spreading like wildfire across my face.

He smiles.

I wave.

"What the heck are you doing, Ed?"

"He's gonna jump," Bella tells him and he looks over at her in shock, then back up at me.

"Bullshit."

"You better watch your mouth, Em. Mom's gonna beat you senseless if she finds out you're cussing like that."

"And who's gonna tell her?" he challenges.

I shrug.

"He's totally jumping," Bella insists. "Aren't you, EC?"

"I'm ..."

"He's not gonna jump, Bella. Don't be stupid."

"Don't call her stupid," I yell down.

Bella punches him in the arm for calling her stupid and he flinches. Then she punches him two more times for flinching.

I'm laughing my ass off when Bella looks back up at me, expectantly.

"Come on, EC ... live a little."

The smile on my face fades as I look down at her, waiting. She has more faith in me than I deserve.

Emmett crosses his arms.

"Dinner's in ten, Ed! You gonna explain to dad why you're late or do you want me to?"

Crap.

Dad is _huge _on deadlines. He doesn't like tardiness. I need to get down from this tree the easy way or the hard way. When I look down at Bella again, she's still looking up at me, excited, and that does it for me. It's the final push I need.

_This is it,_ I think to myself. _ This is how I'm going to die. _

But dying is better than being late to dinner. And it's way better than BellaBee thinking I'm a wuss, so I jump.

I scream. I flail. I pray to whoever is listening to forgive me of all my recent sins so that if I do die, I don't go to Hell. When I hit the ground I fall and roll a little, hit a rock even ... but I'm okay.

I'm alive!

I am triumphant!

I am ... getting up off the ground before I look like a complete idiot as I privately celebrate.

I'm laughing hysterically with leftover adrenaline and Bella joins me. We hug and she tells me I'm the bravest boy she knows. That no one else at school would have ever even thought about jumping from that tree.

I catch Emmett grinning ear to ear at us and I try to distance myself from Bella a little, but only because I don't feel like listening to him tease me for the rest of the night.

That's when I look up and see just how far we were when I took the leap off of that branch I was standing on. It's a good twenty feet. Maybe even twenty-five.

I _am _brave.

But not because of who I am. It's because of who I'm with.

...

I continue to stare out my office window as the memory from my childhood fades. It's quiet for a minute or so while I return from the past, then I hear the clock on my office wall ticking away again.

I look over at it.

I watch it move.

I curse it silently.

I want to break it into a million pieces, but I won't.

I've had this clock forever. I purchased it when I landed my very first office job within Data Dimensions. Making the big time at Dad's company without any help whatsoever from him or Emmett meant even more than graduating a year early from U Mass. I wanted to commemorate that occasion with a wall clock because I've picked up my Father's deep seeded hatred for missing deadlines.

It's a very basic, run-of-the-mill wall clock, nothing special. It's got a white background, black minute hands, and a red second hand.

It reminds me what time it is, how much time is left in the day, how much longer I have until my next meeting, and that I don't have all the time in the world to get everything done I need to do.

Unfortunately, right now, it's also reminding me of what I'm _not _getting done.

I can't focus and it's driving me insane.

I couldn't focus yesterday either, but I chalked it up to the hangover from Hell I had going on.

That combined with the way bits and pieces of the evening at my brother's wedding had come back to me, reminding me of my reunion with Bella. Not only was I completely blown away by seeing her after all these years, but was also doubly blown away by our tryst in the supply closet later that night.

Holy shit, was I blown away by that tryst.

_Sexy_. That's all I can think about when I replay the scene in my head again, over and over and over.

BelleBee is fucking sexy.

What also has me unfocused is the fact that I was so caught off guard by the entire night that I forgot to ask Bella for her number and of _course _Emmett's on his honeymoon … and not answering his cell phone.

Rose probably tossed it into a hole somewhere.

Serves him right, but still...

_Dammit._

I rub at my temples. I pinch the bridge of my nose.

I focus. It's what I do. I'm the Grade A, number one, focuses under pressure, Chief Executive Officer of this company for a reason and ...

A familiar chiming sounds from my laptop and I pull my hands away from my eyes to see who's pinging me. It's Dad's assistant, Marie.

_Mr. Cullen wanted me to let you know they're here._

Great.

_Okay,_ I type back and then I grab my laptop and notepad and head out the door to the conference room where our Board is waiting to hear my insight on why acquiring Val-Turi Techniques is a good idea this quarter. Not everyone works from the office, but everyone comes in for these meetings and they've come to expect a certain amount of knowledge to be shared.

"Hold my calls, Kate."

She laughs when I say it as she holds a new box of pens out for me to take to the meeting. She wonders why I say the same thing every time I leave the office. Sometimes I wonder too but I can't seem to help myself from saying it anyway. It's habit.

"Have a good meeting, Edward," she tells me as I start down the hallway.

"That's an oxymoron, Kate."

"Doesn't have to be!" she yells after me.

I check my watch. Four minutes until the meeting is supposed to start. I can still do this.

I find a seat at the head of the table, near where I know my Father will sit along side me.

Dad's been backing off for the past few years or so, hoping to retire soon, but he still likes to take part in the BOD meetings and is technically listed as President on our paperwork these days. I think he wants to make sure that when he does leave for good, we're able to stand on our own two feet for a long time to come.

He's got nothing to worry about. I've learned from the best. I know what I'm doing.

I open the laptop and look up the notes I threw together at the end of last week while the rest of the Board starts entering the conference room. I empty the box of pens onto the table. It takes me four to find one that writes the way I want it to.

"What's wrong with you?" my father asks. I wonder who he's talking to until I look up and see him scowling at me.

"What?"

"Your hair, it's all ... disheveled looking."

"Where's your tie, Ed?" Jasper Whitlock is our Chief Financial Officer, and a complete genius when it comes to number crunching. And he's just caused me to remember that I forgot to dress appropriately today. Usually Emmett brings an extra because he knows how much I hate them and how something inside me always manages to forget. I meant to write myself a note yesterday to remember to bring one but I forgot to do that too. Now I'm the only person in the room with a golf shirt on under my jacket and no fucking tie.

"Shit."

"Edward."

"I'm sorry, it's just ..." I try to smooth my hair down some as the V.P.'s begin to come in.

"Did we change the dress code and forget to send a memo?" someone asks, trying to be funny.

_Hilarious._

"You'll have to excuse Edward this morning, gentlemen," Dad says. He nods toward our only female executive on the board. "Tanya." Then he continues. "Emmett's wedding must have really had an affect on him this weekend."

The board laughs and I smile politely but he has no idea.

_No _idea.

The final meeting attendee, Ben Sheeves, makes his way to a chair. He's followed in by his Administrative Assistant, Amy, whose turn it is to take notes this month, and there isn't any hesitation in getting down to business.

"So, what's the word, Edward? Are we buying up Val-Turi or what?"

I close my laptop. "Jasper's been watching their numbers. It looks like..."

"Yeah yeah," Ben waves me off. I knew that was coming. I'm just stalling. "Numbers Schmumbers," he says, then holds a hand up to Jasper. "No offense."

Jasper closes one eye and rolls the other. I know he wants to flip Ben the bird but he won't do it, not with Carlisle here.

"I wanna know what you think ... what have you found out?"

I'm going to have to go with the rough draft inside my head of the information I've gathered on this company over the past several months. Which is fine, I'm just much more comfortable having it outlined neatly in a document so I can stick to the program ... and the facts.

I could tell him about the layoffs I know they already had. That it was on the Q.T. and that the employees who lost their jobs were given huge exit bonuses the company couldn't afford if they signed confidentiality agreements, but I know he's more of a bottom line kinda guy.

"The timing is good," I tell him.

"That doesn't make sense. They just opened, what, not even two years ago and their stocks have been smooth sailing." This from our Assistant V.P. of Sales, Bill Holland, the guy who's sitting in for Emmett today, and who wants to fit in … to make an impression at this meeting, I'm sure. But he thinks he knows the market and he's wrong. People manipulate the market every day in hopes that people like him will buy up their "hot" stocks and keep them in the black for another week or so, but that's a whole other can of worms I can't and shouldn't get into today.

Like I said. I prefer my outlines.

"I went over it with Emmett and Jasper last week, Bill. Trust me, the timing's right."

"Maybe you missed something."

What the fuck?

_This guy._

I huff and force a smile. I can see Jasper next to me, leaning back and locking his hands behind his neck.

"I don't miss things, but I appreciate the concern."

"Well maybe..."

My hand slams against the table. My patience is gone and he jerks in surprise. "Tell ya what, Bill," I advise him, quite furious, now, "when I want you to second guess my fucking opinion on something, I'll let ya know."

The room gets quiet. Part of me feels a little bad but not much. Typically, I actually prefer my people to give me a different outlook on our situation, but this guy and his Devil's Advocate bullshit ... he is so goddamn cocky it makes me wanna spit. He's got a lot to learn about corporate settings, acquisitions, and potentially hostile takeovers. I needed to put him in his place.

Dad cuts the tension when I don't make the effort.

"Jasper, can you give us a breakdown of their cost margin?"

He clears his throat and then he does what Carlisle has asked. The numbers spark an entirely new line of questioning from people around the room about product development, bug time, and whether or not we have the resources to cover training for our customers on new applications.

It goes on like that for hours. Explanations beget questions, questions beget more questions, rabbit holes turn into briar patches, and before anyone knows it, it's lunch time.

I'm in the middle of assuring Tanya that if we do end up acquiring Val-Turi, she will indeed still be in charge of Marketing, when the food is brought in and I'm stunned into silence.

She doesn't see me at first, she's too busy. When she does see me, she acts like she doesn't.

I lean over to Dad. "What is she doing here?"

He thinks I'm angry and he shrugs. "Emmett gave me her number on Saturday before he and Rose left. I thought we could give her some business."

I'm far from angry.

Bella and another employee of hers are setting up trays of catered food out around the table and it smells delicious, but I'm more interested in the way she's avoiding eye contact with me.

"Let's take a break," I tell everyone as Bella leaves. I follow her out and close the door behind me, leaving my colleagues to eat their lunch in peace.

"Hey," I call out and the caterer's assistant looks my way, but Bella tells her to go on downstairs, that she'll be there in a second. The woman nods and gets into the elevator alone, then Bella turns to me with a smile. She tucks one of the trays she brought up with her under her arms in front of her, defensively.

"Hey, is everything okay? I can ..."

"No, no, I just ... I ..."

I have to laugh. I didn't really think through what I was going to say to her when I followed her out here. All I knew was that I just wanted to talk to her again.

I notice the receptionist eying the two of us with what appears to be a combination of both curiosity and confusion, so I lead Bella by the arm into an area closer to the the elevators for a little privacy. When we get there, and I'm too busy staring to say anything, Bella tilts her head and curls her eyebrows.

I grin.

"I didn't expect to see you here."

"I didn't expect to see you either," she tells me and I knit my brow at the comment.

"Emmett mentioned you were running Operations here, but ..." she stops and shakes her head, so I clarify.

"I am."

"On the Board of Directors?"

"I'm …" Why am I all of sudden nervous about telling her what I do? I'm not a grunt, or a mail clerk... I'm the fucking CEO.

"I'm the Chief Executive Officer, Bella."

Her eyebrows lift and her lips make this "O" shape. "Oh..."

"That a ... problem?"

She blinks. "No, no of course not, I just …" And now _her _brow is knitting. "I just didn't really picture you all … executivey."

"Executivey?"

I'm hesitant now, unsure how to proceed. _Executivey_ somehow does not sound like a good thing when she says it.

She lets one arm go from the tray and tucks some hair behind her ear. I try to keep the conversation going.

"Lunch looks great."

She bites her lip and nods. "Yeah, I was surprised to hear from Carlisle's assistant. That was really nice of him."

"Yeah, it was."

"Yeah."

I'm struggling for something to say and it's bothering me that this feels so awkward now, but I need to address what happened between the two of us.

"The other night was …" I blow out some air. "I mean, I didn't really get to say goodbye."

"No, yeah, I noticed that," she says and I'm not sure how to take it. I mean it's encouraging that she noticed I left, but not so encouraging that she doesn't seem to care one way or the other that we didn't touch base after screwing our brains out in the supply closet.

Or that she is now referring to me as _executivey._

I apologize anyway. Or try to at least.

"Sorry about that, I was … really drunk and needed sleep. It was a long week and Emmett … I mean, you remember how Emmett can get, right?"

Bella nods and there goes that hair again, behind her ear. I watch her fingers as they pause at the nape of her neck. When I meet her eyes again, I want to tell her how fantastic it was to see her the other night, how great she felt, how ...

"Edward."

Jasper's at the conference room door, calling over to let me know they're ready to get into it again.

"Right." I wave at him and it feels like my entire body is deflated as I let out a long, frustrated sigh.

"I guess I gotta get back," I tell BelleBee. She's tilting her head, thinking, as she presses the elevator button.

"I'll see ya later, EC," she says with a bit more enthusiasm than when she deemed me _executivey_, and as though on cue, the doors open to her lift downstairs and she steps inside. She holds my stare the entire time the doors are closing and I'm caught up in her eyes until ...

"Wait!" I yell out just as they shut her off from me, and then I curse a little louder than expected for failing to get her number again.

But then I remember Carlisle has it.

_I'll get it from him later_, I tell myself. _After the meeting_.

I go back into the conference room, ignoring the narrowing eyes of our receptionist, and I find my seat again. The afternoon session goes a lot like the morning did except for the fact that, once again, I can no longer focus on what's being said. I'm too curious about how long Bella's been back, where she's working from, and how long she'll be staying in town.

I open my laptop up and pretend to check email, but really I'm Googling her name, scrolling through the list of Bella Swans whose address are from the West Coast, trying to figure out which one is her and what she's been up to for the last twenty years or so.

I divert most inquiries over to Jasper and even ask a question I already know the answer to of Bill, just because I know he'll prattle on for a while, giving me more time to surf the web. Not that I have much luck. It seems as though there are a million Bella Swans out there in the world and so far, not one of them appears to be mine.

After quite a few failed attempts to find her, I try to bring my mind back to matters at hand, and force myself to pay attention to the concerns the Board has about our latest conquest.

It's well after six when the meeting finally ends and most of the lights are off already on our floor. A sign no one is left but us. Almost no one, anyway.

"Thanks for staying, Kate."

She grins for me as she grabs her bag. "Not a problem, boss."

She waits for Ben's Admin to gather her things as well, and then the two of them say their goodnights while planning the rest of their night out together.

I lay my things on my desk and am just about ready to sit down for a long night of listing out the pros and cons to buying out another small time competitor when I see my Father pass by, reminding me he has very important information that I'm interested in.

"Dad."

He stops, but only long enough for me to catch up with him. "Yes, son?"

"I need Bella's number."

"Her what?"

"Her phone number, you have it right?"

"Oh," he pats his pockets then snaps a finger. "I gave it to Marie, so she could order lunch."

Foiled again.

"That doesn't help me." Marie is gone for the day.

Dad somehow thinks something is funny and he laughs a little, then pats me on the back. "Well, Marie will be back at eight AM tomorrow, Edward. You can get Bella's number from her then."

I walk him to the elevators. He takes that the wrong way. "You heading home?"

"No," I tell him. "I need to catch up on what I didn't get done this weekend."

He stops and gets his overcoat on as we wait for his ride down to the lobby. "That's my boy. And don't let those R&D guys get to you, you did good today, son. I, for one, think acquiring Val-Turi is a great idea."

This doesn't surprise me. He always thinks it's a great idea. It's like he's addicted to acquiring companies, or expanding our's, or both, maybe. Regardless, right now, he's simply telling me I chose well.

"Well, they do stand to make a lot of money off of the deal," I tell him, and when the doors open, I'm ready to get back to that focusing I've been sucking at today.

Then I see her. Standing there in the elevator as though she'd never left it earlier. Only she had to have because she's dressed differently than at lunch, and the wedding, for that matter.

She's got jeans on with boots and a loose top that hangs slightly off of her shoulder, and a leather jacket hangs from one of her arms. In her other hand, she's carrying a to-go bag of sorts in her hand.

"Bella," my dad says, "we were just talking about you."

She arches an eyebrow at me but quickly gives my father her full attention. "Hey, Mr. Cullen, thanks again for today."

"Oh, it was no problem, I should be thanking you, my dear. Lunch was fantastic, nothing but rave reviews from the Board."

This puts a huge smile on her face and I can't help but match it as the three of us stand there. She's blocking the doors and they ding when they try to close on her. That gets my Dad into gear.

"Well, that's my cue, I suppose. Goodnight, son," he tells me and I nod. "Bella."

"Goodnight, Mr. Cullen."

"Carlisle, Bella. We're both too old for that kind of formality anymore."

"Gotcha," she says playfully. "Night, Carlisle."

He's gone and I'm still smiling. "What are you doing here?"

I feel like I'm asking that of her an awful lot but it's really all that ever comes to mind. She's continually surprising the hell out of me by showing up when I least expect it.

"I said I'd see you later," she tells me with an evil grin.

"Yeah, but I thought you just meant that metaphorically."

She leans in. "I'm not a very metaphorical person, Edward."

"I'm getting that," I admit, and then I'm curious.

"How did you know I'd be here? It's kinda late."

"I might have known an executive or two in the past," she teases. And without further ado, she holds the bag out for me, anxiously waiting for me to take it, which I do.

"What's this?"

"Food, I had some leftovers and thought you might be hungry."

This illicites yet another smile on my part. "I'm starved, thanks."

I open the bag up and immediately close my eyes, letting the smell of something Italian invade my senses. Then I hum. I am so eating this as soon as I get back to my desk.

"Hey, do you wanna go hang out somewhere?"

I stop smelling the food and suck in some air. "It's kinda late."

Bella laughs. She's sincerely amused by what I've said. "It's six thirty, EC."

I'm not sure how to respond. I typically don't do much of anything but work and go home, and until recently, spend what's left of the evening with Charlotte, but since that's over ...

"I've got a ton of work to do before tomorrow morning, Bella," I tell her. "I really got behind this weekend, I probably shouldn't."

She looks disappointed. "I see. Right, no, okay, I just thought we could catch up, ya know? I mean it _has _been twenty years."

She's absolutely right. It feels like forever but just yesterday and I don't know why I'm saying no. I just have this itch I need to scratch with this project and it's making me a little uneasy that I haven't gotten to it yet.

She pushes the button for the elevator and I try to be reassuring.

"Another time though."

"Right, sure," she tells me, then it's quiet between us. I feel like I've said the wrong thing but I don't know what to say, I do actually have a lot of work to get done.

The elevator door opens and she steps in. This time I get no smile goodbye and I feel like when she says goodbye, she means ... goodbye.

I raise a hand and smile until the doors close. Then I turn with the food she's brought me and head back to my office.

I'm halfway there when I realize something and stop dead in my tracks.

"Shit."

I drop the bag and run back to the elevator. I punch the button like a madman, then decide, screw it, and fly down the stairwell instead.

"Good evening, Mr. Cullen," the security guard says as I whiz by.

I yell out to him and wave, "Goodnight".

I round the corner into our front lobby on a dime, barely avoiding falling on my ass while trying to keep my balance against the freshly polished tile floor. When I'm finally through the doors and outside, I scan the street frantically for BellaBee.

"Fuck." Boston is cold as shit in December. I should have grabbed my coat.

She's still walking, thank god, and I run to catch her.

"Bella!"

She stops and turns and gives me this confused look. "Hey, what are you ..."

I'm out of breath. When I get to her, I have to bend over and catch it again before speaking. I hold up a finger, asking that she give me a minute, and by now, Bella's giggling a little bit.

"Still a runner, I see."

Finally, I can stand again. "I forgot to get your number," I tell her between ragged breaths and she laughs a little harder.

"You came all the way down here to get my number?" she questions. "But I thought you just ..."

I shake my head and wave a hand at the building. "I don't know what that was. I'm just used to ... I mean, I don't normally ..."

I stop and she waits for me to finish. I should just get her number and go back inside, finish this acquisition bullshit and call her another day, but looking into Bella's eyes, I see us, as kids. Climbing that tree and jumping off of it.

I want to focus on the work I have upstairs but I can't. I haven't seen this girl ... this _woman_ in twenty years, she shows up at my brothers wedding and pulls me into a closet with her ... now she's here again, and I have no idea when or if I'll see her after this.

I decide right then and there that I can always set my alarm for four AM and do the work I need to do in the morning.

"What I'm trying to say, very badly, is that ..." Fuck. I'm shaking I'm so cold. "After I run back up to my office to get my jacket and close up the office, is that I'd love to hang out with you tonight, BellaBee."

She twists her mouth. She narrows her eyes. Then gives me the smile I've been addicted to since Saturday night.

"Okay."

* * *

**A/N: The Fandom Choice Awards are in full swing. Voting is through December. Blind Spot may or may not be up for "Best Suspense" ... I dunno (THANK YOU to whomever nommed this story!) - But some of my very favoritest people people are also up for some of these *coughs* troublefollows1017 for Best Edward *coughs*, Livie79, Twilover76, afternoondelight, rtgirl, TheSaintsMistress, DH76 (aka DiamondHeart), JaimeArkin, Savage, TKegl, Jaspers Destiny, Midnight Cougar and a TON of others I cannot think of off the top of my head right now.  
**

**Check 'em out over at thefandomchoiceawards . blogspot . com and vote for your faves because they can't win if you don't vote.  
**

**Big love & xoxoxoxoxox  
**


	3. Chapter 3, Continue

******A/N: Mama walked me through it, Sue fixed it up all perty like, and here she be. I can't thank you enough for your reviews. They make me smiley and they mean a lot - just like you guys.  
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**********Song - "No Envy No Fear" by Josh Radin**

* * *

**Chapter 3. "Continue"**

"Dang it."

I trip over a tree stump I can't seem to avoid for the life of me and now I'm frustrated.

Bella and I been at this for over an hour now and I'm still empty handed. Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that I can't stop looking at the new boobs she grew over the past few months.

Last summer when we did this, it was no big deal. I was just hanging out with my best friend, doing stupid things all kids do during the summertime when there's nothing else to do because it's too early to go home but too late to do anything else.

Suddenly, tonight, she's not "tom-boy Bella aka best friend" anymore when I look at her.

Tonight, she's a girl.

She's shaving her legs and wearing perfume and she's got curves and boobs and … I'm done for.

I try to put a cease to our current activity, hoping she won't run and bounce around so much.

"Aren't we a little old to be chasing fireflies, BellaBee?"

She stops short from cornering one she's had her eye on and turns around. She's looking at me like she can't believe what just came out of my mouth as she puts her free hand on her hip.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm _never _gonna be too old to chase fireflies."

That's easy for her to say, she's got almost a whole jar full already.

She goes back to what she was doing, which is basically stalking a firefly.

"We have to grow up sometime, Bella," I tell her. My dad was just telling me today after school about how I need to make sure I keep my grades up and chart more volunteer hours if I want to make it into the Advanced Business Studies program in High School.

Emmett didn't make it but just barely. I figure if he was close, I definitely still have a fighting chance.

"Who says?"

"Everyone."

She stops chasing her firefly again but she's still watches a group of them that are flying around.

"Well I'm not."

I want to believe her. I like Bella just the way she is, and if it were up to me, I'd find a way to freeze time so we could hang out and not worry about things like High School and College and … whatever else comes after that.

I just don't know how she can avoid it though, growing up is definitely gonna happen.

She starts whispering to her jar.

"Wwww … what are you doing?"

"Making wishes."

I laugh.

"What?" she asks me, opening the jar up so they can all fly out.

"You really believe in that stuff, Bella? Come on."

She shakes the last fly out and screws the top back on, then she looks at me like she's got something really important to say, but she's giving it a lot of thought before she says it.

"Bella!"

Mr. Swan calls for her and whatever it was Bella was gonna say ... it's not getting said tonight.

"I'll see ya tomorrow, EC!" she yells out to me as she runs home. I wave and watch her go. I wait 'til I see her go inside before I I hold up my jar with its single firefly that's buzzing around in it and I study him.

"I wish Bella would stay Bella," I whisper to him. Then I let him go.

xxxxxxxxx

I take another bite of the food Bella gave me earlier. She's skating around the middle of the rink she's brought me to like she thinks she's one of those professional skaters, twirling and spinning and narrowly avoiding a collision with other patrons.

I laugh, and when she catches me watching her, she glides over to where I'm sitting in the snack bar area.

"I still can't believe you brought that in here with you," she says with a glint of pride that I'm scarfing down her meal like it's my full time job.

"I told you, I'm starving."

Bella giggles as she skates back and forth in front of the half wall I'm sitting next to.

"What are these, anyway? They're fucking delicious."

"Lasagna Rolls."

"Damn."

I hum as I shove another one into my mouth. I really do love them, but I'm also trying to stall. I'm not really up for skating. After I swallow, I wipe my mouth and eye the twelve year old children who are in some sort of a race out on the floor.

"You know, when you said you wanted to hang out, I didn't exactly think you meant roller skating."

"Would you have said no if you did?"

I think about it. "Probably not."

"Probably? _Probably_?" she teases. "Okay, that's it. Finish your food, EC, then get those skates on that we rented for you."

"I'm quite happy here with my lasagna rolls."

"Don't make me tackle you and put them on."

I eye her. Enticing Bella to tackle me would be nice, but not in this particular environment with so many young eyes watching.

"I'll do it," she warns. So I take the last bite of the food and throw the styrofoam box into the trashcan. Then, defeated, I sit back down and start putting the roller skates on my feet.

"Ugh, I forgot how gross skate rink skates are, we should go buy a pair and use those," I mumble and Bella, shaking her head at me, lets out a sound of amusement.

"So stuck up, Mr. Executive," she teases.

I shake my head, smiling and when I'm done tying up my laces, I stand.

Then fall flat on my ass.

"Oh ... shit," I cough and before I know it, Bella is around the wall, hovering over me, laughing again.

"Are you okay?"

"I think I broke something," I wheeze, feeling like an idiot for even trying this at my age. Why did I let her bring me here?

"Edward, get up. You're thirty-four, not eighty."

She starts pulling on me but I'm not helping. She struggles and grunts and when she loses her balance, even though I can, and should, I do nothing to try and keep her from falling on top of me.

She lets out a squeak as she lands against my chest, knocking the wind right out of me and I start choking again as I try to catch my breath.

"Mother of God."

She giggles, burying her face into my neck and it feels good.

I start laughing too. Then my hands slide to her waist and I want to kiss her. I want to do more than kiss her. I shouldn't feel hesitant about this, seeing how we've already passed all of the niceties of any normal dating circumstances by screwing like rabbits a few days ago, but I do.

And, of course, there are the kids.

The ones crowding around us now, staring.

Bella tries to push herself up, but part of her shirt is snagged on the button to my jacket. When she goes to stand, the shirt comes down off of her, exposing her black bra covered breasts to the entirety of the snack bar area patrons.

Most of whom are around the ages of twelve to fourteen years old.

The girls all gasp and the boys' eyes all become wide with awe. Parents are oblivious, chatting away at their tables, and Bella, who should probably be embarrassed by the situation, simply waves them all away.

"Okay, okay, it's not like you haven't studied the human anatomy by now."

She eyes the boys who are still gawking. "Scram."

They do, but are no doubt already texting their classmates about the boobs they just got an eyeful of.

She shakes her head but is smiling like she remembers what it was like to be that age and I don't doubt she does. I don't, not really, except for when I'm around her.

I try to untangle her shirt from my button, but I'm failing, and she steps in and manages to free herself. Once we're both standing again, and Bella has herself situated, she takes my hands into hers and pulls a little.

"Whoa."

"Easy, tiger," she teases. "Come on now, EC, you used to do this with your eyes closed."

She's skating backwards, guiding me to the main floor.

"That was a long time ago," I tell her.

"Not _that_ long ago," she reminds me. When we get out onto the skate floor, I wobble and feel like I'm going to fall again at first, but within a few minutes, I'm doing better.

Much better.

I get my bearings while Bella is busy skating around the rink with her hands stretched outward at her sides. I watch her. It's like she's free. Happy. I don't recall the last time I felt like that.

Or maybe I do.

My cell phone vibrates and I exit the rink to find a quiet_er_ place to answer, but I'm still keeping an eye on Bella as she laughs with the kids and challenges them to races.

"Hey Ben."

"I did some digging tonight after the meeting. Val-Turi is in some sort of talks with Clearwaters Database, Inc. If we're gonna acquire these guys, we need to get on the stick."

"Uh huh." I grin at how the boys are all flocking to her like bees to honey.

"Did you hear what I said?"

"What?"

Now Bella is taking a moment to help a little girl, who's by herself out there, learn to spin.

"I said Clearwaters Database is gonna scoop up Val-Turi if we're not careful."

"Shit!" I yell out when I see a couple of delinquents who aren't paying attention to where they are going crash into Bella and her new friend. They both go down and although I'm pretty sure Bella is alright, the little girl is crying. Wailing actually.

"I know, and …"

"I gotta go, Ben, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

I end the call and hurry out to where the incident happened, but by the time I get there, Bella has already convinced the small girl that she's fine. She's already pushing off to go skate and practice her spinning some more.

"Amazing," I muse and Bella smiles proudly as she watches the little girl twirl around.

"I know, she's a really fast learner."

"I meant you," I tell her. She blushes, just slightly, while she's tucking that hair behind her ear again.

"Shut up, EC, and skate with me." She takes my hand just as the D.J. announces couples skate, then he starts to play an oldie but goodie from our past. Bella pivots and skates backwards again, with her hands locked behind my neck, and she bites her bottom lip while she smiles up at me.

"Remember when we used to come skate on Friday nights?"

I let my hands rest on her hips as we glide around the rink floor. "I do, and I also remember how all the boys were gawking at you like cave dwellers back then, too."

"I don't remember that," she says, looking genuinely confused. This doesn't surprise me. She never did realize how beautiful she was back then. She probably doesn't realize it now, either.

"You were too busy competing for all the first place titles on Pac Man, I believe."

She laughs out loud at that memory. "Oh my God, I wonder if my name is still in the machine."

"Most likely. Kids today are too into Mortal Combat and The Legend of Zelda to even bother with classics like Pac Man."

"You're probably right." She sighs, then her eyes light up like a Christmas tree and she suggests, "Let's go play!"

Before I can answer, she's pulling me off of the skate floor to find the old arcade game. Ten matches between the two of us later and the D.J. is announcing the end of the night.

We find a spot to sit and take our skates off and then return them. We follow the mob of people out into the parking lot. I'm getting ready to pull my cell phone out and call the car company when Bella asks, "Wanna ride, stranger?"

I think it over. It _would _be quicker to just get back into the van with her than wait for the car service.

"Absolutely." I smile. "I'm downtown, is that too far?" I ask, since I have no idea where she's living these days.

She hooks a thumb in the other direction. "Don't you need to go back and get your car?"

I shake my head. "During the week I usually have a car drop me. I can't stand driving in traffic."

She blows out some air through her nose. "I can't seem to get used to you being this …"

"Executivey?"

She laughs as she pulls her keys out. "Person with so much money at his disposal."

She says it like she says the word "executivey" and after we're inside the vehicle, neither one of us speaks a word as she starts up the engine and gets on the road. But I'm curious as to the meanings behind her observations. I'm not ready for that discussion though. Not yet.

"So where are you staying these days?" I ask, simply trying to break the silence between us.

"At my Dad's old place."

"Your …" I start. "I'm confused, you moved out of that place when …"

She nods. "Yeah, but he was pretty sentimental about Boston. He loved it here, so he kept the house and rented it out. He always made promises of moving back some day, but ..."

She trails off and seems sad about something.

"How _is _Charlie?"

"He died," she tells me without skipping a beat.

Shit.

"Wow, that was … hell, I'm sorry, Bella."

She shakes it off. Or tries to. "It's okay, it was a couple of years ago, actually. Heart attack, you know he never did eat right." She turns her head so I can't see her face anymore. I wonder what she's thinking.

"Your mom … is she okay?"

"I don't know, she um ... left about six months after we moved out West." And again, she's telling me this without much emotion attached to it. But then again, that was roughly twenty years ago.

"That's …" Hell, I don't even know what to say. And then suddenly, I'm confused … again. "Wait, you've been back for _two _years? I don't ..."

"No, Edward," she says with a snort. Then she sighs a little, thoughtful about something, and explains. "I thought about selling the house at first, from over in Phoenix, putting the money in the bank, but I decided I wanted the house. Only my … situation didn't allow for me to move at the time, so I kept it as a rental for a while, until my situation … changed."

She's not saying something underneath all that saying something, but I don't want to press the subject. It seems off limits.

"Wow," I say, clearly lacking anything intelligent to add. Then I realize how close she is to where I live now. "Oh, so you're over on the other side of Boston Common again."

"Yeah, I mean, it's kinda cool, actually. It's close to all the major roads … not _too _far from the airport … in case I wanna go somewhere."

My brow knits together. "You going somewhere?"

"Well, I mean … " She's blowing me off. "You never know what's gonna come up in life, right?"

I hesitate, but agree eventually. "Right."

Another bout of quiet suffocates the two of us until she asks where I live.

I give her some vague directions as we talk. We eventually end up laughing some more over the stupid things we did as kids that probably should have gotten us killed, and when we pull up to my building, she puts the van into park and looks up at the height of it and gapes.

"I should have known ... the _Ritz_."

I have to laugh. Her face is priceless and I lean up against the passenger's side door to get a better look at her. She still has that scar next to her right eye where she ran smack into the monkey bars while we raced toward them one afternoon during rest period at the pool.

She still looks at things as though she's seeing them for the first time. With awe and wonder.

And she still makes my heart beat just slightly faster than normal.

"You haven't changed at all, have you?"

She pulls her eyes away from the stack of condos we're parked in front of and grasps her fingers a little tighter around the steering wheel. "Oh, I don't know, there's probably a few things you'd be surprised by about me."

"You surprise me every day, BellaBee."

This awards me with a look finally and I realize I don't want the night to end just yet.

"Do you wanna … come up?"

She lifts an eyebrow and I add, "There's a great view of Boston from my living room."

We're both quiet for a few seconds before she bursts out laughing.

"Tell me you don't use that line on women."

I shrug. "I don't, I just haven't done this in ..." I take a deep breath and let it out. Bella reaches over to place a hand on top of mine.

"It's just me, EC," she assures me, "and I'd love to come up."

She parks and we head into the building together.

"Mr. Cullen."

"Good evening, Felix."

"I see we have a guest this evening?" he asks, curious probably, because it was just a few weeks ago that Charlotte was accompanying me up to the condo. Of course we weren't walking hand in hand and there were no smiles on our faces.

There never had been. Things just weren't as … _familiar_ between Charlotte and me despite our long term relationship.

"This is Bella Swan, Felix. She's a very old, very good friend of mine."

She elbows me. "Speak for yourself on the old part."

Felix tries to hid his chuckles and Bella smiles for him. "It's nice to meet you, Felix."

She holds her hand out and his brow dips, but after a moment he reaches for it and Bella shakes his hand. He seems to have been stunned into silence by this gesture and I get it. This isn't the normal behavior of the typical Ritz condo dweller, but there isn't anything typical about Bella.

I give Felix a nod as I guide her away and over to the elevators. Inside, I feel Bella watching as I reach for the button to the Penthouse and I look over at her afterward. She doesn't say anything but I can almost hear her thinking it.

_Executivey._

I ignore my own paranoid thoughts and step back, leaning against the wall as we rise. I close my eyes much like I do after a long day at work, waiting for that last leg of my trip home to end.

Then I feel it.

Bella is placing soft kisses against my neck while her hands roam inside my coat.

My eyes fly open and my hands grab hers, stopping her from going any further. It's pure instinct. I'm not used to the way she's so open and, well, public.

She stops and looks up at me.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't know how I feel about having sex with you in this elevator, that's all."

"You had sex with me in a supply closet," she reminds me with a sly smile.

"That was different."

"Different ... how?"

"Well for one thing ... I was drunk."

"Come on, EC," she says, then stretches up onto her tippy toes and whispers into my ear while placing her hand over my slacks to rub my dick.

_Holy shit._

"Live a little."

She kisses my jaw line after that and I let my eyes close once again. My hands slide to her hips and grasp a hold of her. I'm hard, there's no denying it, especially with her hand against that hardness. She rubs a little more just so we're all clear on the matter. I let out a gritty "fuck" just as the doors open.

The older woman that steps in eyes the two of us and clutches her pocket sized poodle to her as I pick Bella up and move her off of me.

"Good evening, Mrs. Newton."

She ignores me and turns around, pressing the button for her seventh floor condo.

Bella purses her lips and tries not to laugh. I want to find the situation funny but I can't, I'm too busy trying to talk my dick down.

When Mrs. Newton exits the elevator, Bella lets her giggles flow.

"Not funny," I tell her, trying to remain serious but she's not letting me rain on her parade until we finally reach the top floor. I'm already taking my coat off and hanging it up when I notice she's still in the elevator, eyes wide as she takes in the apartment.

I decide to use her own words against her for once when I take her hand to pull her inside.

"It's just me, BellaBee," I remind her.

She swallows and follows me in. I pick up the T.V. remote and turn on my favorite Pandora station for winding down after work, then I give her the twenty-five cent tour.

I notice the way she's regarding some things about me. Like that nothing gets used much. The dining room table, the stove ... hell, the refrigerator doesn't even have all that much in it. When we're halfway through the kitchen, she opens a few drawers, curious.

"Wow, your silverware has very nice posture, Edward," she teases, picking a fork up to inspect it. "And it's so … shiny."

I know what she's doing, and I know why. I've gotten a little particular about certain things over the years. I try not to take her jabs too personally and remind myself that she's just being Bella. The girl with a love for chaos.

After she sets the fork back down and moves on, I place it back where it should be and close the drawer, following her back into the living area.

She lets her fingers slide across the back of my couch as she walks over to the sliders and looks out at the city.

"You were right at least. This is a great view."

"It's one of the reasons I moved in here," I tell her and she laughs quietly, moving her head from side to side.

"If only all of life's decisions were simple."

Her look is far away now. Like she's thinking on something that maybe wasn't so simple. Before I can ask her what it is, she turns to face me.

"I was a little forward the other night."

I raise an eyebrow.

"And ... maybe in the elevator."

I grin.

"I just … seeing you … and then kissing you …"

I stop her right there.

"Trust me, you don't have to explain to me how seeing each other feels after all this time, Bella."

She breathes a little easier and I study her as she glances back out at the city.

When I was almost fifteen years old, her parents took her away from me. Granted it was because of Charlie's job, but back then, I didn't understand any of that.

I never found another friend like her when she left, male _or _female. Maybe I never wanted to, maybe there just wasn't anyone else like her in the universe and my heart knew it. All I know is that since graduating college, there hasn't been much in my life that I could get very enthusiastic about except for work, but now ...

I take her face into my hands, pulling her eyes back to mine, then I lower my lips to hers, slowly.

I kiss her and tell her quietly that I've missed her. Even though I might not have known it until I saw her at Emmett's wedding, I missed her.

When I pull away, dizzy with want, she puts her hands over top of mine.

"Make love to me."

I have goosebumps. All over. And it's not as though Charlotte never said these words to me before, but when she did, it was more like we were trying to fit sex in between our work schedules and Board Meetings.

It wasn't like this.

It wasn't full of need and want and a history of absence that couldn't be helped.

I'm not comparing the two, just noticing the difference between what I thought I had with someone else and … this.

I move to take her hand and lead her back to the bedroom when she pulls me back.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking you to the bedroom," I tell her. I mean, isn't it obvious?

She tugs some more. "Come here, Edward."

Another kiss and she's unzipping my pants, apparently wanting this to happen right here in my living room. This makes me a little apprehensive. I don't even think the maid has come by yet this week.

"Maybe we should ..."

"Maybe you should just relax," she tells me, and while she's helping me out of my slacks and shoes, I feel slightly self-conscious. I'm hard and the lights are on. They're dim, but they're on and I'm very much used to a woman who does not believe in public displays of affection or sex in any other room but the one that was built for it. Now, all of a sudden, there's Bella and she's the exact opposite of everything in my life right now, but the exhilarating thing is … what I find surprising, in so much more than a good way is … I like it.

She stands and shoves the jacket to my suit off of my shoulders, then raises an eyebrow. I pull my shirt off, leaving me fully exposed to her and she eyes me carefully. Then she takes my hand and leads me to the only chair in the room. I've hardly ever sat in this chair. I only purchased it because it went with the couch.

It's oversized and has too many cushions, but when Bella gives me a soft push, I sit down and realize for the first time just how comfortable it is.

She stands before me and begins undressing herself. Then I notice the sliders again.

"Shouldn't we close the curtains or something at least?" I ask her and she just smiles, shaking her head.

She's naked in front me now. She's beautiful, confident, void of any question about where she wants to be and who she wants to be with. And this is going to be nothing like the other day in the supply closet.

I reach out and take her by the hips, then pull her toward me and kiss her belly.

I pull some more and kiss her breasts.

A little more and she's sitting on my lap, straddling my dick that's now aching to be inside her again, but before that dream can come true, she puts her lips to mine.

Her nipples graze my chest. My hands graze her nipples. I breathe her in. I kiss, I suck, I visit what I couldn't see the other night. I slide a hand down between us and feel if she's ready and she is. She lets out the most beautiful sound as my fingers enter her and she rocks to show me how good it feels.

She whispers my name and I can't wait any more.

I lift her up and settle her on top of me, and when she slides herself all the way down, with a roll of her hips, I groan.

My hands slide to her ass and I move her against me, watching her lose herself in us.

She feels good. She feels real. And it's so much better than anything else I've ever had.

When Bella's hands fly to my shoulders and she holds them tight, I know she's close, so I move with purpose and hope to find the perfect spot.

She breathes a little heavier, a little deeper, and I'm sure I've found just that.

She rolls hard and I push hard, and when she comes, her eyes open and she looks down at me with pure bliss. She lets out tiny pants of pleasure until she's finished, which is when I'm just starting because that face … I want to see that face over and over and over again.

"Fuck."

My moves become frenzied as I hold on to her and I push into her faster and harder, and when I come, it's intense. It's so intense I think I might just fucking break something, but I don't and when I'm done, Bella leans in. She begins to place light kisses along my neck and jaw until she finds my mouth.

I stay inside of her while we kiss.

I stay inside of her while I push that hair behind her ear, myself.

I stay inside of her while I tell her, "I'm really glad you came up."

Then I get us up out of that chair and take her hand, guiding her back to the bedroom so I can properly fuck her for a second time.

When we're done, she makes to leave the bed, but I pull her back down on top of me and kiss her again.

"Where are you going?"

"I just thought …" she trails off a bit and I don't know what she thought or why she thought it. I just know I don't want her to go.

"Stay," I tell her and she smiles. Then she falls to one side of me and curls under my arm. A perfect fit.

* * *

**A/N:** **Dear Britt & Nic: perfect GIFs are perfect. ILY. thank you.****  
**

**Some recs... because I want to bring you tidings of great joy this season: Now and Then by troublefollows1017 (Dude. DUDE),Glycerine by Livie79 (!),Seventh & Pine by Iambeagle (LOL), Changing My Course by twilover76 (holy...), In Your Room by Layathomemom (ded), Delphian City by BoomBoomJones (love).  
**

**Love you guys so much, thank you to the ends of the Earth for reading.  
**

**xoxoxoxoxo  
**


	4. Chapter 4, Procrastinate

**A/N: SueBee rids my chapters of horrid grammar and mama pre-reads... For free. Thank you, ladies.**

**Happy almost New Year to you all. You add positivity to my life And I'm eternally grateful.**

******Chappy song = "Carry On" by FUN.**

* * *

**Chapter 4 "Procrastinate"**

Monster movie marathons are a huge thing with BellaBee and me. After New Year's, we started a list of all the best scary movies ever made since we were born and we've been working our way through it ever since. The ones rated PG-13 anyway. Our goal is to get through the entire rest of the list by my birthday next month. So far I think we're gonna make it.

The only downer is when Emmett keeps coming in and making gross comments about the lights being out and stuff. That, and curfew.

It's getting late and my dad just announced that Charlie called. Bella needs to go home. Usually she'd be up and out of the house before Dad could finish his sentence, but tonight she's not budging out of that bean bag chair she's been sitting in all night and her eyes are still focused on the movie we've been watching.

It's a remake of Night of the Living Dead. Bella likes it, but I'm not really sure how I feel about it. I kinda like the original better.

I give her another minute before making sure she heard my dad.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't wanna go," she tells me and I laugh because, hellooo ... we don't have a choice here.

"You have to go, BellaBee."

She grabs another handful of popcorn from our bowl. "No I don't."

"Well ya can't stay _here_," I tell her.

She thinks about it for a second then turns to me with her idea. "I could leave … and then come back … your bedroom window isn't that high off the ground."

My eyebrows curl up hard and I'm looking at her like ... "Are you _crazy_?"

My Dad would _kill_ me. _And_ her.

Now I think she's mad because she starts grabbing her stuff all exaggerated like. "Fine. I'll go."

"Bella, wait." I grab her by the hand and she stops but doesn't look at me.

"Tell me what's wrong."

She shrugs and sighs. "I've been having nightmares."

We sit down again. "About what?"

"I don't know ... monsters." She says it like it's hard to admit.

I get it.

I haven't had nightmares in a long time, but I can't laugh at her. She's Bella. And nightmares are nothing to laugh at. "Maybe we've been watching too many horror movies."

"Maybe," she tells me, then hugs her jacket a little tighter. That gives me an idea.

"Be right back." I start to take off out of the den, then stop and turn back. "Don't go yet."

I run downstairs and look for the pile of boxes my mom has stacked by the laundry room. I push the top ones off of the pile until I see the ones with my name on them, then I open them up as fast as I can, looking for what I need.

When I do, I leave the mess of boxes behind me and run back up the stairs, two at a time.

Bella's at the door already. Dad's ushering her out.

"Wait!"

My father looks shocked that I've just screamed out at him like that, but I'm not talking to him. When he sees what I have in my hands, he scowls. I try to ignore him as I pass by, walking Bella out to the road.

Once we're away from my family's prying ears, I offer her the stuffed bear I had when I was a kid. The one my mom used to put in bed with me when I went to sleep at night. Bella takes him and then looks up at me like she doesn't understand.

"He'll help with the nightmares," I explain and she smiles, then curls him into her. Suddenly I feel stupid, like maybe she's gonna think I still sleep with him or something, so I clear things up, just in case.

"You can keep him, if you want. I don't use him anymore. Mom had him in some boxes downstairs, so ..."

I suck in some air. I feel really awkward for a minute until Bella wraps her arms around me unexpectedly, and squeezes me tight. Then she whispers into my ear, "Thank you."

"Bella! Charlie just called again!" my Dad yells out and then, more like the Bella I know, she throws the bear into her bike's basket and takes off down the road.

"Bye EC!" she hollers and I wave, even though it's not like she sees me. She's not looking back. She never does.

xxxx

I don't have that bear anymore, Bella never did give it back, just like I suggested. I wish I did have it now because when she stirs for the third time since three AM, I wonder if she might be having a nightmare of some sort. She looks like she's having a nightmare. She has a worry line between her eyes and I remember this worry line, I've just never seen her have it in her sleep.

Hell, I've never seen her _sleep_.

I question whether or not I should wake her ,but I've read if you wake someone in the middle of a nightmare they could get violent, so I simply try to console her as she tosses and turns.

I check my alarm clock. It's nearly four and I don't want the sound to wake her, so I turn it off. I'm up anyway.

When I leave the bed, I push my pillow into her and she grabs ahold, cradling it to her. Then she relaxes just slightly and her lips pull into a subtle pout. Something about it makes me smile. I'm half tempted to get back into bed with her, but there are things in the back of my mind that I know I need to get to, so I don't.

I take my shower and dress, and then head out to the kitchen to make some coffee.

Before I get there, I trip over clothes that have been left strewn throughout the living room and I curse. I hate mess, but when I think about the activities that caused this particular mess, I don't hate it so much.

I do hate the limp I have in my giddyup this morning though, and once I'm at the counter, I lean and stretch, trying to work out the kinks in my back from roller skating with Bella. I'm walking a little slower than normal as I move through the kitchen, setting up the coffee maker. I go searching for a notepad so I can leave Bella a message, encouraging her to make herself at home.

I'm hoping the more I try to walk, the less it will hurt, but by the time I drive into the office and fall into my chair, I'm still aching. I forget about it mostly as I start my day reviewing Jasper's financial records for this quarter, eventually working my way onto Val-Turi's financials as well.

After a couple of hours of studying them a bit more, I decide to pull up Clearwaters Database, remembering something Ben had said last night about them. I jot down some notes I find interesting and then put my pen down.

I close my eyes and tilt my head from left to right, trying to relieve some of the tightness that's still there.

Clearwaters might turn out to be a bit of competition as far as this acquisition goes. They appear to be a very tight knit group, with enough team meetings and team building events to put Microsoft to shame, which is most likely why their profit margins seem a little low.

I think back to the early days of Data Dimensions and how Dad used to have such things. During winter, he'd have Marie coordinate hotel rates and conference rooms for huge holiday extravaganzas and I smile when I think about how he and Mom would let me visit the party for a while. Then how I'd sneak down through the lobby after my bedtime, when the babysitter was asleep, to visit some more.

Of course those were the first cutbacks when the bottom line started to become a little more important to him.

I roll my head forward and stretch my neck out some more wondering when that was. I can't remember now except that it was before I made CEO.

There was a time when I recall thinking those holiday parties would be one of the first things I would work to reinstate, but it never came to pass. I'm not sure why.

When I pull my head upright again and open my eyes, Kate is standing at my door with a confused look on her face.

"You're never here before me. Why are you here before me? What's wrong? Are you firing me?"

I let out a chuckle. Like I could ever afford to lose Kate.

"No, Kate, I'm not firing you. I just needed to get a jump on some things before everyone starts coming in and my time is no longer mine."

Her earlier comment is already forgotten when she gets a better look at me.

"You look like hell."

"Thanks," I say, then get back to my work, thinking the conversation is over. Only it's not.

"And yet ..." She eyes me. "Suspiciously happy."

I assure her, "I'm always happy."

She laughs a single, decided, "Ha! Seriously though, you're ..." she hums, "different."

I try to ignore her perception. "I don't know what you're talking about." But I'm failing miserably and Kate knows it. She also insists on pursuing the topic.

"Corie says you seemed kind of interested in the lunch caterer yesterday."

Corie. The floor's receptionist. _Dammit_.

"I ..."

"Oh good, you're here."

Ben is next to Kate suddenly, cutting me off, and he's clearly peeved with me over something.

"Wanna explain to me your reasons for hanging up on me last night?"

Kate is even more interested in what's up with me now.

Ben gets snide. "Partying a little too hard at that club you were at maybe?"

Why he's bringing this up in front of my assistant, I don't know, but I shake my head and explain without thinking. "It was a rollerskating rink, Ben, and I didn't intentionally hang up on you, there was this ..."

Kate stops me from finishing. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa." Her eyes narrow at me. "You went ... _rollerskating_?"

She's sincerely killing me with this inquisition.

Maybe I _should _fire her.

Kidding.

"Kate?"

"Mmmm?"

"Coffee? Please?" I beg of her and she concedes, then leaves. Ben, however, takes a seat. He makes himself comfortable. Then he lays into me.

"So, let me get this straight. We're in the middle of making an important deal for Data Dimensions and you're out ... rollerskating."

He's right in a way, I shouldn't let myself lose focus on this deal. If I do, we'll lose it. But he's pissing me off. I've seen him handle Dad this way in the past, like a bully. And Dad used to let it roll right off of his back, but in recent years, in his old age maybe, he's let Ben get the best of him a few times.

He's not going to get the best of me.

I turn to my laptop and close down the window that has Clearwaters website up.

"You're crossing a line, Ben. I'm the CEO of this company, if I want to take a fucking night off, I can take a fucking night off."

"By all means, Edward, take a night off ..." he starts and I think he's taken the hint, but then he adds, "hell take ten ... but _after _we land this deal."

Who the hell does he think he's talking to here?

"I'm not asking your permission, Ben."

"Maybe not, but I'm sure as hell gonna have to something to say if your social life is hindering the growth of this company. I work here too, remember? I have a stake in ..."

"Don't tell me what you do and don't have a stake in. I see the reports every goddamn day at nine AM on the fucking dot."

My voice is getting louder by the sentence, and I'm feeling like I wanna deck my Ops guy all of a sudden.

"Good, then you know how important it is to me that we make this deal happen."

"I know how important it is to your _wallet_."

He stands and so do I because screw him if he thinks he's got any right to try and tell me what the fuck to do.

Then Carlisle appears at my door. I see him before Ben hears him. I also see the stress in his face and wonder if it's because of the argument I've found myself a part of before dawn or something else. I have no idea why I'm even engaging this guy about any of it except that he rubbed me the exact wrong way when he insinuated my time out with Bella wasn't deserved.

"Problem, gentlemen?"

"Morning, Carlisle," Ben says with a nod after clearing his throat.

"Morning, Dad. No, we just ... we were discussing some options about the Val-Turi deal. I'm planning on calling them today to feel them out. Ben says they're in talks with Clearwaters DB."

I say it because I don't want Dad thinking he has to bail me out of every confrontation I get myself into. I also say it because I want Ben to know we're on the same team here. I'm not the enemy.

Dad nods approvingly and Ben settles down a little. Two birds, one stone. _This _is why I'm CEO.

I breathe easier when Ben smiles and shakes my hand.

"Good deal, Ed. Let us know how it goes," he says and then heads off for his office. When he's gone, Dad lingers.

"So, was that really all that was going on, Edward?"

I grin and shake my head for Dad. He worries too much.

"Ben's just ... being Ben."

He eyes me carefully. "Okay, well ..." His umbrella taps against the door jamb. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"You okay, Dad?" I ask him because quite frankly, he looks more harried than I feel today. He stops and smiles but insists it's nothing, then we agree to meet after lunch for a short briefing on whatever I can find out about Val-Turi.

I have a busy morning ahead of me.

Kate brings me coffee and I bless her. It's not part of her job description at all, but she does it for me anyway because she's a fucking saint and I appreciate her all the more for it.

When she sets it down onto my desk, she waits a beat or two to see if there's any hope of reigniting our earlier conversation, but I give her nothing except, "Thanks Kate."

Once she leaves and closes the door behind her, I pick up the coffee and take a nice long whiff.

I'm just starting on my first sip when my cell phone buzzes and I check it. For a split second, I'm convinced it's going to be Ben, checking to see if I've talked to Val-Turi yet, but am pleasantly surprised when I see that it's Bella.

I chuckle softly. Exchanging numbers had been a priority after I told her I wanted to hang out the night before. I wasn't forgetting again. I'm reaping the benefits of getting that mission accomplished by imagining her naked in my bed, on the other side of my phone.

_You invite me to stay only to leave me in the middle of the night?_

I grin as I text her back.

_I had to get caught up at some point. Did you get my note?_

_Sure did. And I sure am. Your place rocks, EC. _

I laugh again, this time I envision her with the music turned up as loud as possible and the kitchen a mess as she makes herself breakfast. Naked. Which reminds me ...

_The maid will be in by noon in case you don't want to be there when she arrives._

_Not a problem. I have work too, ya know. ;) _

Right.

_You work?_ I type, teasing her, and she sends me a vulgar gif back, which I laugh at silently.

I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that things seem so much the same with her and yet so different when she texts me a proposition.

_Hey, let's play a game today._

I'm not sure how I feel about that.

_What kind of game?_

_A questions game._

_Um ..._

_Because we have a lot of catching up to do still and I don't want to spend all of our alone time talking._

Oh. "Well in that case ..." I send her a resounding _yes_.

_I'll start, _she says. _So what have you been up to for 20 years?_

I hear the familiar ping of the chat app on my computer and tell her, _That one's easy. Work._

_Wow. Exciting, EC. Your turn._

_OK, same question. Other than cooking, what else have you been doing?_

She takes a little longer to reply than I expect and I scowl at my phone as the computer pings again. Finally she answers though.

_Long or short version?_

I check the ping. It's fucking Ben. I roll my eyes and reply to Bella.

_Short._

_OK. Finding myself again._

Another scowl. _How so?_

_That entails the long version, _she says, and then, _gotta run to work! more later :)_

I think we're done so I turn to the laptop to face the rest of my day, but there's one more text from Bella coming through. I pick up the phone again and check it.

_THANK YOU for last night, EC. _

Her words leave an odd feeling inside me. I feel like she's the one helping me somehow and yet, _she's _thanking _me_.

Anothing ping from Ben and I'm losing my temper again.

I set the phone down and tell him I will let him know when I've spoken to Val-Turi. Then I shut my chat down and call the damn CEO over there because, as much as he's pissing me off, Ben has a point. I need to get on the stick.

Obviously I'm not put through right away, but I leave a cryptic enough message with the guy's assistant. He'll call me back.

I keep myself busy with such things like texting with Bella several times. I feel like there isn't much to tell _anyone _about myself other than what I do for a living, but the questions Bella asks change my mind about that.

I share with her my favorite places to eat out, my most commonly played iPod songs, and count for her how many times over the years I've had any type of athletic activity in my life.

It was five by the way, all ending very badly.

She, on the other hand, promises to expand on her earlier answer the next time we meet up and I accept this because there may be a few things going on with work that I'm uncertain of right now, but there's _one _thing I know for sure. That Bella and I _are _going to meet up again.

I do find out, though, that she finished school out in California at the top of her class. Trained at Le Cordon Bleu Academy out there and at some point, I'm not sure when, moved to Phoenix, Arizona.

Without Charlie.

I'm thinking up my next question when Kate pings me.

_Mark Windsor from Val-Turi is on the phone for you._

I shut the door to my office while I put the cell phone away. When I answer my office phone, I introduce myself even though I know he knows who I am. I tell him I've noticed his company's interesting take on streamlining database software and that Data Dimensions might be interested in making him a proposition.

"What makes you think we're interested in selling?" he asks me when I tell him my preliminary thoughts on an offer for his application code.

"I hate to be forward, Mark, but I know you're already in talks with Clearwater over the same type of deal," I tell him.

He takes a breath. He's thinking. He must not have realized anyone knew that already.

This is what I thought he was thinking anyway, until he answers me.

"I believe you're mistaken, Mr. Cullen. Clearwaters is not trying to buy out VT. We're buying _them._"

I'm stunned into silence for a moment or two.

"You're ... but how? Your books say ..."

"Our books don't reflect the most recent activity, Mr. Cullen. We have money in reserve for what we need, you shouldn't worry about it."

Money in _reserve? _What the fuck does that even mean? It's true, VT is a privately owned company, but still, if they have money on _reserve_, I'd know about it. Jasper would know about it. Something's not right, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna show this guy he's got me twisted up about any of it.

"I see, well ... I'm sorry I wasted your time, Mark, but I appreciate you calling me back."

We end the call and I think it over for a minute or two, then I walk over to Dad's office and call Ben in along with Jasper. Then I fill them in.

"Where in the hell would they get that kind of money?" Jasper mimics my own questions when I first heard it from Windsor and I give him my initial thoughts on the matter.

"Personal backer?"

"Maybe."

Dad plays devil's advocate. "Clearwaters has been Data Dimensions' largest competition for over a year now, why would they need to sell? Maybe it's just a merger."

Ben shakes his head. "I don't know what it is, but we need to find out. If Clearwaters is in some kind of financial trouble, we need to get to them before Val-Turi does."

The way he says it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. We've been buying out companies for roughly seven years now. Usually they have something we need and they're about to go under, but this situation ... it doesn't feel right for some reason.

"Clearwater has over five-hundred employees, Ben. This isn't some start up that had a good idea and then got in over their head."

Jasper confirms what I'm thinking. "They've done nothing but grow steadily since they opened up shop. Maybe they're just looking for new management."

Then Ben reiterates, "Five, five-hundred, it's all the same, just a bigger fish."

"I don't know ..." I'm thinking out loud, which is my mistake, but when Ben makes his next remark, I'm ready for war.

"You don't know?" He laughs, then turns to Dad. "Your son might not be the one for this job after all, Carlisle."

He's trying to make a joke but he's also making a jab. And I'm not up for his fucking games right now.

"Don't insinuate I'm not up for this job, Ben. I've busted my ass for the past four years as CEO of this company."

He holds his hands up. "Don't get defensive, Ed, I'm just sayin', this is what we _do_. It's part of what makes us successful."

"What makes us successful is the product we put out, Ben."

"Yeah," he chuckles. "And twenty-three percent of those products have come from companies we've acquired over the years."

"Leaving seventy-seven percent of them stemming from our own goddamn imaginations. You think we need those other products? We don't _need_ anything but what's right here in this office building, Ben."

And then I heard it. It was like a bell going off inside my head as we argued more and more about employees and benefits and layoffs and buyouts.

We don't need this acquisition.

I not really sure anymore how many we actually _did _need.

I know the first few were because we had a genuine interest in taking what those companies had started and compounding on them. That we believed in what they were selling, and that we were helping those companies continue to be able to see what they'd developed turn into something that could be used worldwide, but now ...

I've headed up so many acquisitions myself, alongside Dad and Jasper, that I don't remember why we keep doing it.

Except for what Ben just said.

It's what we do.

"I think we all need a little break," Dad tells us in between rebuttals with each other and then he asks Ben to hang around for a few minutes. I don't know what he wanted with him, but I'm pretty sure it was to tell him to settle the fuck down, and even if it isn't, I sure as hell will be telling him to the next time I see him today.

But I _don't _see him and part of me is a little glad. I'm still trying to calm down and figure out where my head is at right now.

It's in the middle of the afternoon when I get another text from Bella.

_Favorite car even though you don't drive one._

I smile.

_The new Charger._

She replies with, _well, it's nice to know some things haven't changed._

I type out, _any kids? _because it's been bugging the shit out of me trying to figure out what it is she hasn't told me yet and when I hit send, I almost regret it. She doesn't respond right away.

I'm in the middle of typing an apology when she does.

_No, almost once, but no, no kids._

I feel like I've just hurt her somehow. Innocent as the question may have been, I can feel her sadness in that response. Again, I'm finishing up that apology when she texts again.

_Late lunch?_

I look at my watch.

_Can't, dealing with bullshit right now. Dinner?_

_I have a late party I'm catering tonight. Breakfast?_

I'm laughing now, because this could go on forever.

_Tell ya what, meet me here for lunch tomorrow and I'll take you to our cafeteria._

It doesn't take too long for her to respond with, _Deal, _then I tell her I look forward to it. I spend the rest of my work day in a tug of war inside my head, struggling to keep my mind focused on coming up with a viable solution to our Clearwaters situation and thinking about seeing Bella again.

In the middle of several conversations, I'm asked if I'm feeling alright, but I assure everyone that I am. I do seem to have this anxiousness about me, wanting to leave but knowing I can't. There's just too much shit to do around here.

When I finally do head home that night, I think about calling Bella from the backseat of the car, but it's late and I don't want to interrupt her if she's in the middle of working still.

At home, I enter my building and smile with a nod to Felix as I pass. Upstairs, I half expect to see Bella's things strewn about still, but it's fully clean. The maid did indeed make it by today. I kind of wish she hadn't.

I turn the music on and sit on the couch and let my head fall against the back of it. I see Bella behind my eyes instead of numbers and I grin, imagining her on top of me like last night. It crosses my mind to call her again, but I have no idea what time she's finishing up with her catering job.

Later, in my bed, I feel cold without her next to me. I'm trying to talk myself into slumber but I know it won't come to me. My mind is too busy most nights and I typically don't even remember falling asleep before it's time to get up again.

When my cell rings, I answer it, assuming it's work but it's not.

"Hey, I hope I'm not waking you up."

I smile. "You're not, I'm glad you called. Actually, I was just thinking about you."

"I like hearing that."

"I don't know if you would, if you knew what I was thinking."

She giggles into the phone. "I bet you're wrong."

I won't be able to wipe the smile off of my face for weeks.

"You home?"

"Yeah." She yawns and I feel like I'm breathing much easier now that she's called, but she sounds exhausted.

"Should I let you go?"

"No way, I've been looking forward to talking to you all night."

"You have, huh?"

"MMmmmm."

The way she hums makes me want to drive over there and hear it some more while I'm kissing her skin, but I won't suggest it. It sounds like it's been a very long day for her. I'll settle for her voice.

This time.

We talk for over an hour and, in a way, it's just like old times. Bella tells me, with great enthusiasm, all about some of the clients she's gotten since Emmett's wedding, and she is somehow able to get me to go on and on about the deal with Ben and work and Clearwaters Inc.

I know I need to let her go when she's snoring into the phone.

I laugh.

"You should go to sleep."

She lets out the most beautiful sigh. "Maybe."

"Will I still see you for lunch?"

"Mmmm Hmmm."

I laugh again. She sounds so damn sexy. "Okay, g'night, BellaBee."

"Goodnight, EC."

I'm up for an additional hour or so, thinking about the woman who's appeared back in my life and how much more alive I feel with her around.

She can't make lunch after all the next day, but we manage dinner in the cafeteria and Bella tells me it's like being taken to a four star restaurant as opposed to an office dive. We have a nice time, but it's cut short by an unexpected meeting that's been called by Carlisle to discuss Clearwaters. I have no idea how long this will go, so I don't make plans with Bella for after work and we decide we'll talk tomorrow.

The rest of the week is not kind to us. Either Bella gets a catering job she hadn't anticipated or has to stay late to cook and bake for one she has the next day. On the flip side, I feel like I'm trying to deal with more fires at the office than usual and they _all _seem to have to do with Clearwaters, Val-Turi or Ben.

We make time to see each other with coffee breaks and quick office visits, but it's never enough as far as I'm concerned. I haven't had her in my bed again since that first time, which is starting to sincerely annoy the shit out of me.

By Saturday evening, I'm staring at that damn clock on my wall, giving great thought to taking a hammer to it, when suddenly Bella is standing at my door with a large gift bag in her hands.

"Hey," I say with that familiar grin on my face. The one that I only seem to find when she's around.

She steps into my office.

"Hi, I just thought I'd stop by. The, um, security guard downstairs recognized me and ..."

I stand up. "No, I'm glad, this is a nice surprise."

She smiles and tucks some hair away. "Good."

"So, what brings you here?" I ask her, leaning against my desk now.

"I don't know, I mean, you've sounded so frustrated the last couple of days. And from what you've told me is going on ..."

The grin is gone. "Understatement of year," I tell her. "This fucking ... _deal _is turning into a nightmare."

"It's funny you should say nightmare. .." she trails off and reaches a hand into the bag she brought with her, then pulls something out that I have seen in more years than it's been since I've seen her.

And I'm frozen. Because it's the bear. _The _bear. The one I gave her when we were kids.

I take it and all I can do is stare.

"You kept him."

"You told me to."

I laugh. "No, I mean, all these years, you kept him?"

"Of course I did. _You _gave him to me."

Air escapes me while I hold him out in front of me, remembering that night again, and then I'm curious.

"I don't understand."

Bella shrugs a little. "I thought maybe it was time he helped _you_."

All I can do is stare at this woman with a soft aching inside my chest. The gesture is almost too much for me to handle right now, and I feel like this is the most time we've spent together live and in person since almost a week ago.

There's a lot I want to say, there's a lot I want _her _to say still. I want to know about the child she almost had but didn't. Who she didn't have it with. I want to take away the hurt it must have caused. I want to know why she likes that she's living near an airport. I want the twenty years back that I've missed out on and I want to fucking kiss her.

So when she starts to tell me she's brought food, too, I cut her off by crashing my lips to hers.

The bear is gone, the bag she was holding as well, and our hands settle on each other in a way that feels like home.

It's comfortable. Easy. Familiar.

And scalding hot.

Her lips part, letting our tongues touch and tease, and I forget that I'm in the office building of Data Dimensions for a few minutes while we make out and my head spins.

I forget about a lot of things.

I stop to look at her. Bella lets out a hum and a sigh, then she smiles up at me.

"Let's go do something."

I can think of a few things I'd like to do with Bella.

I try to get my mouth to say no. That I can't. That I shouldn't. I remind myself there's a call to Clearwaters Inc that I need to make, but when my eyes catch that clock on my wall and I think about time, none of it seems to be so important all of a sudden because now all I can think about is how much time I need with her.

"Okay," I tell her. Then I shut my laptop down for the night, I pick up the bear and the bag Bella brought, and we leave to go … do something.

* * *

**A/N: thanks so much for reading. Sorry it was a bit late, will try to get this back on track next Wed.  
**

**Much xoxoxoxo.**


	5. Chapter 5, Pause

******A/N: Forever thanks to miss Sue for taking time to beta and deepest gratitude to MAMA for going over these words with me and for finding perfect songs to go with them. I L Y.  
**

******Song = "High Hopes" by the Vespers**

* * *

**Chapter 5 "Pause"**

Downtown Boston has _the _most fantastic fireworks of all time.

I'm not kidding.

I know a lot of people drive up to New York because those are supposed to be the best ones and it's like this experience of a lifetime and all. Emmett went with his girlfriend, Jane, and a bunch of their friends this year. But for me, it's sitting here with BellaBee on the only free blanket we could find between our two houses, on the last free spot in the crowd, and watching them go off over the Charles River Basin.

I can't shake this anxiety that's been building up inside me ever since school ended last month, though. When it starts up again, two months from now, I'm gonna be in High School.

High School.

That's huge.

Bella's been a High Schooler for a whole year already. She seems okay with it but I don't think I am. Not yet, anyway.

The good news is, even though we don't get to see each other too much during the school year, summer is just like it's always been with us. Full of crazy ideas that she comes up with and then following through with them because, well, doing crazy stuff with Bella is the best time I ever have.

She said something last week about her dad being up for some promotion at work and how she hopes he doesn't get it. She said she felt bad for saying that but she doesn't wanna move.

I tried to bring it up once or twice afterwards but she doesn't really wanna talk about it. Said she's not gonna worry unless she has to. I guess I won't either, I just get the weird feeling as we sit here watching the sky light up with different colors, that this is the last Fourth of July I'll be spending with her.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?"

A red, white and blue explosion goes off. It's huge. One of the biggest of the night. It fades with the sparkles Bella loves. I look over at her and her eyes are wide. She has the biggest smile on her face.

"You ever wonder what you're gonna do when you get older?"

"Cook," she says without hesitation, like if she talks too much she'll miss the show.

She's not gonna miss the show, this thing lasts for hours.

"Cook?"

"Yeah." She says it like it's nothing. Like it's the first thing that just happened to pop into her head.

"Like, for McDonald's?"

She looks over at me and laughs. Then punches me in the arm. "_No_, Edward, I'm gonna cook my _own _stuff. For everyone and anyone who can afford me."

She goes back to watching the fireworks and I wonder how she can be so sure. So _absolutely _sure.

"What about you, EC? What are you gonna be?"

She's watching and waiting. So am I.

I don't have an answer. School ends in four short years and I have no clue.

Dad says I need to figure out what I like to do so we can plan out my High School experience, but I honestly don't know what I like to do, other than hang out with Bella.

I know what I'm _good _at - influencing people, making a difference. I mean, I haven't been President of the Student Council at Belmont Hill for two years for no reason. And Dad says I have a good combination of street smarts and book smarts, that those are a foundation for good business sense, whatever that means.

When I don't say anything right away, Bella nudges me. "Edward?"

I shrug. I feel like an idiot for not knowing when she knows everything about where her life is gonna go.

I watch the fireworks so I don't have to see the look on her face when I answer.

"I don't know."

A few more fireworks go up and everyone is ooh'ing and ah'ing but it seems quiet all of a sudden when Bella turns to me again.

I peek over.

"It's okay, ya know?"

I scrunch my eyebrows, pretending it's not that big a deal. "What?"

But Bella knows me better than that.

"It'll come to you, EC. And when it does," she smiles, "it's gonna be awesome."

xxxxxx

I used to think Data Dimensions was it. My "awesome". But lately, between Bella moving back and this whole thing with Val-Turi and Clearwaters, I'm not so sure, anymore, _what _my awesome is.

The images from my childhood dissolve when Bella stretches next to me then hums. Her hands find my waist and she pulls herself closer. I'm not complaining. This feels good. Warm. And right.

The sound of my cell phone buzzing vibrates against her end table.

I check it and sigh, then text the car company with Bella's address. After I set the phone back down, I drag a hand through my hair.

Last night was pretty great. Again. Just as Saturday night was, but to my dismay, we' haven't been allowed the down time I thought we'd have for certain conversations. Bella has come up with the most nostalgic things to do over the past day and a half, which has had me reliving some of the best times of my life with her. They've also made it a little difficult to bring things up that I would very much like to discuss with her.

Saturday night we went to see a band play downtown that she heard was great and they were, but it wasn't the best atmosphere for talking. After two sets and five beers each, we left and she had me panting in the back of a cab all the way to my condo. We had sex for a good part of the night until passing out some time around two in the morning.

Not that I'm complaining.

Sunday she was gone fairly early because she had a birthday party to prepare for and cater so I visited my parents and caught up on some work. When Bella was done and cleaned up, we caught a late night viewing of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at some crappy dollar theatre. I haven't been to a crappy dollar theatre in years.

The floor was sticky, there was staining on the seats that had most likely been there for months, and we were two of maybe twenty attendees. We sat in the back and had we been there to see the movie I might have been annoyed by the fact that everyone brought their umbrellas and opened them up for most of the show, but I couldn't have cared less since I had Bella mounted on my lap, making out with me most of the time.

She had my dick hard and my heart racing through the entirety of the movie and it was so late when we left that it was just more convenient to head back to her place.

However ...

"I really shouldn't have stayed here last night."

"I take offense to that, EC," she mumbles without giving morning the satisfaction of opening her eyes. She squeezes my side and I roll over, maneuvering myself above her.

I hover there for a moment as her eyes blink open. I lean down and kiss her neck. It's still a little surreal that I spent the night in BellaBee's bedroom last night. I was never allowed upstairs when we were kids.

It's smaller than my room at the condo. The bed is as well. But I like it better.

"I don't mean I shouldn't have stayed with here with _you_." Another kiss, lower this time. "I mean that I shouldn't have stayed here," kiss... suck, "where you don't own an alarm clock and I have nothing to wear." I looked into her eyes again. "I'm already behind."

I shouldn't have started this. I'm making it difficult to leave but I know what is waiting for me today. I really need to ...

"Mmmmm," Bella purrs as her hands slide down between us. I grow hard. "Nothing to wear sounds … nice."

My head falls against hers. I'm whispering without knowing what I'm saying. "Bella, Bella, Bella. BellaBee."

And now her lips are against my ear, my neck, my jaw, my mouth.

It's official. I won't be making it into the office on time this morning.

I drop down between her breasts and brush my lips against her skin. She's so warm. So soft.

I inch backwards slightly as her hands move to my hair and her legs rub against my sides, anxious. I'm already hard, but this movement makes me want to fast forward … to be inside her. I'm not a patient man when it comes to Bella.

My hands slide up to her breast ... her nipples. I pinch a little when I kiss the inside of her thighs. The soft moan she lets out in response tells me she's impatient as well.

My hands move downward, clutching her hips. I pull her to me. I kiss some more, then I spread her wide so I can lick and suck. I hum. She's so fucking wet and hot and my tongue wants her to moan some more.

She does.

She bucks, she grinds, she holds my head to ensure I don't stop.

I'm not stopping. Not until I hear her cum.

She says my name and I'm nearly gone. Having her back in my life has been spectacular. Having her this way … it's beyond words.

I free a hand and push my middle finger inside of her. The tiny sounds she makes are killing me.

I push another finger in the next time and when I pull them out, I find her clit. I circle it.

_So soft._

Her legs spread wider for me and her hips lift, wanting more, so I give her more. I suck her clit and dip my fingers and when she goes completely silent, I know she's there. I'm a fucking dead man. It's so good.

So fucking good.

When she's done, I'm done; I can't wait anymore. I find her neck. She has a perfect neck; I love to kiss it. And I do.

She's breathless by the time I find her lips and when I push into her with everything I have she cums again.

"Fuck," she whispers, holding tightly to my shoulders as she moves with purpose under me. I think her nails are digging into my skin, but I don't fucking care.

I push and kiss. I love kissing this woman. She's got the best goddamn lips.

I groan and she arches herself just so and it's too fucking much for me.

"Shit."

I thrust one last, long time and just want to stay there. I want to get lost in Bella and what she is to me right now. What she's always been to me. And what I know in this exact moment ... that she'll always be to me.

I'm exhausted. I could fall down and lie with her all day. I could do this again. And again and again and again, but I know I can't.

Life fucking sucks sometimes.

Her lips on my neck now. Just behind my ear. And her fingers are scraping lightly along my back. "I'm so glad I came back home," she tells me in between kisses and I agree. I agree wholeheartedly.

"Let's stay here and never leave," I suggest, but she giggles and tells me that can't happen and I know it.

I do know it. I just don't like it.

"Do you have anything planned for later? Work? Anything?"

She hums and tells me, "No."

I nuzzle my nose into her hair. Then put my lips next to her ear. "Let me buy you dinner," I tell her. "Somewhere quiet."

A groan. I'm given a groan. "Come by here, I'll cook."

"I don't want you to have to ..."

"I _want _to cook, Edward," she tells me with teasing defiance. I laugh and agree. There's no use arguing with her anyway. I know this if nothing else.

"If something comes up, just call me or text, whichever."

One last kiss and I'm out of bed. Later than late. I really don't give a fuck.

"Nothing's going to come up."

"You don't know that," she tells me. And she's kidding, but on some level, she's not. I look down at her, still naked and so beautiful. I turn serious for the moment.

"Yes, I do."

I grab the clothes I wore the night before and put them back on regardless of the fact that it bothers the hell out of me. I tell her I'll see her later and when I leave, I'm not in the company car two minutes before my mind is pulled away from her and back into work by a text from Kate.

_Ben's looking for you._

I shake my head. I clench my jaw. I glare out at the road as it passes by.

It's starting to bother me that he's been so overzealous lately. I realize these acquisitions are extremely profitable for us, but he's been a little more than just concerned about our bottom line, in my opinion.

The driver waits for me when we get to my condo. I shower, I dress, and as I'm doing this, a new idea is forming about Clearwaters.

Maybe I _shouldn't _worry about Val-Turi and where they got their money. Maybe I should be worried about what might happen if they _do _actually purchase Clearwaters. More specifically, what might happen to Data Dimensions if they acquire them?

Maybe that's why Ben is so hell bent on taking them, maybe it's about making a preemptive strike against a company that could become a whole lot more than just our competition if this deal goes through.

I think about his insinuations over the past few weeks and think that, then again, maybe it's not.

I decide to change shirts, going with a button down and tie today. I complete the suit with cufflinks and then pull on my suit jacket and head out the door. Back in the car, I put a call into Harry Clearwater and ask to meet up with him for lunch if he's available. His Assistant is polite but I can tell she knows who I am and in the back of her mind, is questioning why I would want to talk with her boss. Not to mention what that might mean for her.

I try not to let it bother me, and when the driver finally arrives at the office building, I make all attempts to _not _check my watch.

I fail miserably when I'm awarded a judgmental look from Ben as I collect messages from Kate. But I also do not miss the fact that he's leaving Dad's office when he spots me. I'll deal with that later though. For now, I need to concentrate on the talk I'm going to have with Clearwaters. Maybe I can get a better understanding of what's going on with Val-Turi through them.

Time moves slowly until I receive an email with the time and place I'm slotted to meet up with them. When it's time to go, I tell Kate that if anyone needs me, I'm on my cell.

As I'm sliding into the backseat of the car, I'm reminded of Bella when a caterer enters the building and I send her a message.

_Hi._

It's not long before she replies.

_Hey you. Did something come up after all?_

I smile and type, _No, just thinking about you._

_Ditto,_ she tells me. _How do you feel about tacos?_

It's been a while since I've had them, honestly, but now that I'm thinking about them, my mouth waters.

_Sounds perfect._

But she's also busy, so our conversation is cut short and I'm a little disappointed. Not for long though, because soon after I slip the phone back into my coat pocket, I'm at the Capital Grille.

I find the Clearwater table before they can see me and I assess the situation a little.

Clearwater is there, but he's also got a younger man with him. He resembles Clearwater and I can't help but feel like I'm looking at another version of me and Dad, sitting there.

Only they're in polos and I'm in a fucking suit.

_Figures._

I'm frustrated with myself … and suits … and I let out a sigh to reflect that frustration, then I straighten myself up and head over to the table.

Clearwater sees me and stands with a hand extended. The younger man doesn't. He's deciding whether or not he trusts me.

"Mr. Cullen," Clearwater says and we shake.

"Mr. Clearwater, thank you for meeting me."

"Call me Harry," he says, as we sit across from one another. "This is my son, Seth."

I smile, extending a hand. "Seth." Only he doesn't shake it yet.

I get it. I wouldn't shake my hand either.

After my drink order is taken and we sit for a few minutes of awkward silence, I ask some preliminary questions about his company. I want to know more about them before I show my hand and when Harry begins to tell the story of how Clearwaters got started, I'm once again reminded of my father.

The only difference seems to be that Clearwaters still sounds as though they put the employee first. Something Data Dimensions has lost sight of over the years.

Seth's expression shows pride and happiness every so often as Harry tells a few tales about when he brought his son on board, and I want to jump in and tell him I know exactly how he feels but I don't. It would most likely come off as fake and I have this aching in the pit of my stomach that doesn't want to come across like that to these people.

After he finishes with telling me about his wife's passing a few years back, Harry's face falls a bit and he looks me in the eyes.

"I'm curious as to why you want to know about us, Mr. Cullen."

"Edward," I say, with the slight feeling of familiarity growing between us.

I take a deep breath and tell Clearwater what I'm here for.

"I think saddling up with Val-Turi is a bad idea for your company."

Harry's eyes narrow. He makes eye contact with Seth, and then turns his attention back to me.

"Why would you think that, Edward?"

I shrug. "Call it a gut feeling."

Seth speaks the first words since I arrived. And they're sarcastic.

"You sure you're not just trying to cover your own ass, here?"

I have to smile at the guy. He's not stupid.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, but more to the point, if Val-Turi is anything like Data Dimensions, your company won't be around much longer after they take over."

"And this is a problem for you because ..."

I start by explaining how the fact that they're even entertaining the idea of accepting an offer from them tells me their company must be in some sort of trouble. Then I pitch him the idea I rough drafted in my head on the way over here.

The one where they accept an offer from Data Dimensions instead.

Seth barks out a laugh. Also sarcastic, but Harry … he's thinking. While he does, I keep talking.

"VT might have more money at their disposal," _doubtful_, "but we have the talent and experience your product needs if you want to ever see it taken through to the next level."

He listens to what I have to say while Seth questions me, once again.

"While you lay off all our people?"

The way he says it makes me feel like I would be killing his family.

Maybe he's right. They seem like they care about them as though they're family.

"I wasn't planning on laying them off," I tell him before I think. And this is the part where I haven't exactly thought things through all the way. It's not part of Data Dimensions M.O. to buy up a company and _keep_ it's employees. We can't afford it in most cases. It's just not good business sense in others.

Not to mention I have no idea how Dad will react to this whole idea.

Seth laughs again. "This guy is taking you for a ride, Dad. Let's go."

He starts to get up but I stop him.

"I'm not taking you for a ride, Seth." I hesitate and when he finally sits back down, I look over to Harry, who's still thinking things over.

"I think both our companies need each other. In different ways."

This captures Seth's attention and as Harry leans forward, eager to hear more information, my drink arrives and I'm forever grateful.

I'm going to need it.

xxxxxxxx

Back at the office, I'm feeling pretty damn good.

Better than I have about work in a very long time.

I'm taking the long way through the halls to Dad's office when I pass by Ben's and over hear the last bit of a conversation he's having with someone. I can't quite make out what he's saying; he's talking in hushed tones and is hunched over with his back to the door.

Quite frankly, I'm surprised he didn't just close the damn door.

When he catches sight of me slowing to a halt in front of his office, he's off the phone in two seconds flat. But I'm not ignoring the short hairs on the back of my neck that are standing up at the moment.

I nod toward his phone. "Who was that?"

Ben, who's been hounding me for weeks now and more so that past five days, has nothing more to say than, "No one."

"Didn't seem like no one," I inform him. He's avoiding eye contact. I can tell I've completely caught him off guard here. And I like it.

"I really need to go, Edward, so if you'll excuse me ..."

He grabs his things and hurries past me. I let him go because I have bigger issues to worry about than whether or not Ben is job hunting on the clock or not.

I move on to what I'm here for but before I can even sit down at Dad's desk, he tells me to shut the door.

"Ben is up to something."

I nod, and then sit.

"I'm fairly certain he's up to something that's not kosher."

I raise an eyebrow. I didn't know Dad was even paying attention lately.

"It's cumbersome to the company to continue letting him play these games."

"Agreed." _Without a single doubt in my mind._

"Maybe we should let him go," he tells me. I hadn't expected this. And not that it hasn't crossed my mind, but I'm not altogether convinced that it's the best course of action right now.

My mouth draws downward into a frown and Dad corrects himself.

"I mean you, Edward, it's obviously up to you, I just ..."

"I don't doubt you, Dad. I just think it might be best to keep him around a little longer. I'd rather know what he's up to then let him go and not have a clue, ya know?"

He breathes hard. Then laughs.

"Keep your enemies close," he quotes and I laugh right along with him.

I rub at my eyes. I check the clock on his wall. It's similar to mine but his is much more expensive.

I have roughly an hour before I need to leave and go home to get ready to see Bella.

"Dad, do you ever second guess what you've done here?" I ask him. "Where you've taken things?"

"Why do I have a feeling this question isn't just for me?"

I can't answer him. I just feel … really tired.

Dad leans back in his chair and clasps his fingers together against his stomach for a few seconds.

"Did I tell you why I'm retiring, Edward?"

"Because you're old?" I tease and he laughs at me but then gets serious again.

"I spent the better part of your childhood and my marriage building this company. I was here more hours than I was ever at home, traveled too much, and my relationship with you boys paid the price."

I start to say something but then he continues. "More than that, though, my relationship with your _mother _paid the price."

My brow pulls together. He and Mom have always seemed like the perfect pair to me. I don't ever remember the two of them having fights about anything other than what color she wanted to paint the kitchen every spring.

I'm still letting what he said sink in when he throws in the kicker.

"She told me last Christmas that she was leaving me."

"What?"

Shock is an understatement here.

Dad nods. "Said as difficult as it was when you boys were younger, that she got it, but that now she just didn't see the point in sacrificing her own happiness for what I seem to think is the most important thing in life."

"Dad, I ..."

He shakes his head and holds a hand up to me. "It was a wake up call, Edward. And it only took me a second to beg her not to leave ... to tell me what I needed to do to make her stay."

He trails off a little before going on. I'm speechless.

"She told me she wasn't going to make me choose between her and the company I love, but what she didn't understand ... what I hope I've begun to make her see now, is there was never a choice. I would have always chosen her. I did choose her. That's why I'm leaving."

"I don't understand, why didn't you ...?"

"I've always tried to steer you boys in the direction I thought would be most beneficial, Edward. I just never stopped to think about the fact that there are other benefits out there than money. Hell," he laughs uncomfortably, "I've never been very good at heart to hearts, son, but I've tried over the past year to make sure you all know that I love you and that I trust you with this company completely."

"I don't know what to say right now," I tell him, but he does.

"When I noticed you and Bella reconnecting this week," he starts with a grin growing, "let's just say it's made me realize that you're a grown man, capable of making the right decisions, and that you're smarter than I ever was."

I think about what he's said. What it means. And what I want to tell him. I feel a lot less stressed over the situation suddenly and I tell him excitedly, "I've got this idea - for Clearwaters ..."

He stops me once again.

"Tell me at the next board meeting, Edward. Data Dimensions is your baby now. Where you take her is up to you."

He stands and gathers his coat and keys. "I have a date with your mother."

I'm given a squeeze to my shoulder and a quick pat as he opens the door and leaves me there. I stay for a while, and I when I'm done making the final decision about what I know I need to do with the company, I check the clock again.

Then leave.

When James, my driver for the night, asks if I'd like him to wait outside the condo I tell him not to bother.

I don't change, but I do grab a few things before heading over to Bella's place this time, just in case.

When I park the car and walk up the drive, I see her watching me through the front window from the couch in her living room. I can see a slight smile spreading across her face when she sees I've driven over myself.

"I'm so impressed with you, EC," she tells me when I enter the house. She's drinking a glass of red wine and I can smell the tacos from the kitchen. "And holy hell, you look … rather sexy in a suit."

I huff. "You've seen me dressed up, at the wedding."

"That was a _tux_," she corrects, pointing at me with her glass in her hand. "This is …" her eyebrow raises and she is most definitely eye fucking me from head to toe as she takes me in. "Different."

I like it, don't get me wrong. Hell, I _love _it, but something's off with her.

"What's wrong?"

She takes a sip of the alcohol then smiles up at me with a smile she hasn't shown me yet. It's shy and hesitant ... nothing like the Bella I know. And she isn't offering up any information just yet either. Not until I see what she's got spread out in front of her.

A pile of papers that look official.

"Difficult customer?" I tease as I sit down to peek at them.

"Not exactly," she confesses before pouring more wine into her glass.

"Getting sued?"

It's supposed to be more of a joke than my first attempt but Bella's still not laughing.

"I wish."

She picks up one of the papers and hands it to me.

"What is it then?" I ask as I see the return address. They're from a lawyer out in Phoenix and I don't need her to tell me what they are anymore. I can make an educated guess.

She downs the remainder of her wine down in one smooth motion then lets out a long breath of air before speaking.

"I was hoping this was a closed chapter when I left Arizona," she says, a twinge of defeat in her voice. I try to scan the divorce settlement papers that I'm holding, to see what she's dealing with, when she finishes. "He found out about Charlie's will."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you all for reading. And thanks to all the peeps who've been voting for Blind Spot in various polls. It says a lot and you guys melt my heart.  
**

**I'm helping to judge for an anonymous one-shot contest hosted by Les16 & prettykittyartist. It's called the Heart of Country contest. Please write me a phenomenal cowboy I can fall in love with? www . theheartofcountrycontest . weebly . com for details.  
**

**XOXOXO  
**


	6. Chapter 6, Settle

**A/N: Many thanks to mama for pre-reading this with me and to Sue for taking time out of her personal life to pretty up the words. I love ya both.  
**

******Song = "A Drop In The Ocean" by Ron Pope**

* * *

**Chapter 6 "Settle"**

"So did you ask Tanya out yet?"

Bella and I are on our way to the pool for the day. She nonchalantly kicks some rocks out of her way while she asks me the most annoying question ever.

I mean, she leaves in two weeks with her parents to go to California.

_California._

That's like the other side of the world. I'm never going to see her again and she's asking me about Tanya Clemmings.

The only reason I even said anything to her in the first place was because Emmett keeps pestering me about double dating with him and Jane and I have absolutely _no_ social skills whatsoever. Bella does. It was a whim. As soon as I asked her for some advice I wished I hadn't. Bella never lets anything go.

"No, not yet."

"But you're going to ... aren't you."

It's weird the way she says it. Like she's not asking, she's telling.

"I don't know."

"Why not?"

"I don't know."

"You like her, right?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know _anything_?"

I stop. I'm frustrated. "I don't ... _KNOW_, okay?"

I'm angry. And I have no idea why, but Bella's just standing there looking at me like she's still waiting for an answer, so I give it to her because I know this conversation will last the entire freaking day if I don't.

"She's a year older than me. She's … you know … mature."

"Mature."

I close my eyes. I sigh.

"She's gonna expect me to kiss her or something at the end of the night."

Bella laughs. "So?"

"So? _So?_" I can't believe she doesn't get this. "I have no idea how to kiss a girl, BellaBee. Not only have I never kissed one, but I'm not entirely sure I _want _to considering all the drama it comes with based on Emmett's _experience_."

I say "experience" with the air quotes I've watched my mom use on Dad sometimes. It really drives the point home. Supposedly.

Apparently not so much with Bella though. She waves me off. "It's easy."

We're almost at the pool, but there's this wooded area we cut through and she leaves me there as she darts through the trees.

I run after her. "Easy? How would you know?"

How _would _she know? Does that mean she kissed some guy before?

Nah.

If she'd kissed someone, I'd like to think I would know about it.

She stops just at the edge of the trees, before we're about to go back out into the open again. She turns to me.

"I've seen plenty of movies with kisses in them, EC. So have you."

"And? That doesn't mean I know how to _do _it."

"Here," she says, taking a step toward me. "I'll show you."

_What?_

I hold a hand up. "Wait, whoa, no one said anything about anyone _showing ..._"

"Calm down, Edward," she tells me. Then smiles when she's inches away from my face. "Live a little."

Bella wastes no time once she's said it. She closes her eyes and presses her lips to mine. When she does, my breath catches then my eyes close too.

My hands drop my towel and they settle on her hips. My heart is beating like a jet engine inside my chest and I'm getting goosebumps all over me. Bella's lips are soft and warm and … wet. They part a little and kiss me again. Then her hands slide up my arms and she hooks them behind my neck.

I feel light headed. I actually think I might faint. I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to happen and I'm a hundred percent sure one of us is shaking.

When it ends, I feel like we've been standing there forever but the whole thing probably only lasted about a minute or so.

I can't speak yet, I'm just staring at Bella like it's the first time I've ever seen her.

"See?" she whispers. "Easy."

I nod. It's all I can manage.

It _was _easy.

It was so freaking easy.

There's a blush in Bella's cheeks and she looks a little shell shocked for a second or two before picking up her own towel off of the ground and challenging me to a race the rest of the way.

I don't even run. I don't want to. I wanna hold on to what happened just now. No matter what it means.

xxxxxxx

I never did ask Tanya Clemmings out after that encounter with Bella, much less kiss her.

I didn't kiss anyone, as a matter of fact; not for a very long time. I told Bella I simply changed my mind about asking her out when she sent me an email the following month from her new home. I made something up like that I heard she had a boyfriend and there just wasn't anyone else I was interested in dating then.

Only half of that was a lie.

I did kiss _someone_ later. Much later. I kissed a lot of someones, as a matter of fact. But none of them were ever like that kiss with Bella. Nothing was ever quite that easy.

The thought of her kissing someone else … being with someone else … then _marrying_ someone else … I was convinced I wanted to know this, but I don't. It's stupid. Immature. Selfish. But I don't.

And yet I do.

I set the piece of paper down and watch Bella's eyes. They're tired.

I sit back into the couch and loosen my tie a little.

"I take it this wasn't an amicable breakup?"

"My goal was to not have to bring him into this." She motions between us. "But I'm not going to be able to just ignore him now.

So it hasn't been two years since she last heard from him. He's been badgering her. Maybe even since she's been back in town.

"Is he unstable? Do I need to ..."

She shakes her head as she pushes off of the couch.

"He was a customer at the bakery I worked at after graduation for a while," she starts, disappearing into the kitchen. "Turned out he was a thrill junkie just like me. We ended up spending a lot of time together … went a lot of places ... and we just sort of... fell in love," she trails off with a slight scrunch in her brow. "I guess."

I already dislike like this guy.

"You guess?" I call out, hoping I heard that right. Hoping she meant for me to hear it.

When she enters the room again with another wine glass, she pauses for a moment at the doorway and looks at me with her mouth twisted up at the corner, like she hates to admit the next part.

"Hindsight's twenty-twenty."

I could take that to mean a lot of things. She doesn't guess anymore? She never loved him? How does she know she never loved him? Was there someone else? Me? My mind races but I tell myself to worry about it later. Right now, Bella needs to purge.

She sits down and pours us each a glass of the Merlot she's already started on, and when she continues, she seems a little more at ease than when I first arrived.

"He had graduated college fairly recently and just landed an internship with this law firm. I'd already finished up at Le Corden Blue and was still trying to build my reputation. We seemed to be on the same page for a while there. And were together for so long that it just seemed to make sense in a lot of ways, so eventually, we got married."

Luckily, she glosses over those details.

"The more he worked, the more he ..." she takes a sip of wine and I follow suit. When she looks over at me this time, she's seems like she's struggling to understand it still herself.

"It was little things at first, ya know? He didn't like this friend, that person was a bad influence on me, never wanting me to go anywhere without him ..." She laughs. "I thought he cared." Then she shakes her head. "Maybe he thought he did."

"Bella?" I say, urging her out of a memory she appears to have slipped into.

She catches my stare. "His job … I mean, he changed or, I don't know, maybe he didn't really change so much as he became more of what he already was."

My brow furrows. I want to know why she looks as though she wants to cry right now.

"When he took the job in Phoenix, I was hesitant to move away from Charlie, but it was such a huge opportunity for Alec, ya know?"

Now I'm the one gulping my wine.

I set my glass down and pour another one.

"I guess it was after the first couple of years in Phoenix when I started realizing it."

"Realizing what?"

"I changed for him," she tells me. The way she says it feels like she's disgusted with herself. I guess I know that feeling a little bit.

"And I didn't even know I was changing. He was _that _good."

"Did you talk to him about it?" I ask because I'm trying to be the good guy here.

She shakes her head for me. "I was busy volunteering in the community, helping with events at his company. I told myself maybe I was changing for the better."

She lets out a huff.

"But when I sat down one night when he was _working _late and really thought about it, I noticed I didn't have time to build up any of my ideas for catering anymore and my friends were … well, they were mostly his co-worker's wives that I had absolutely nothing in common with. He even stopped doing things with me, things we'd _always _done together before. He was more interested in impressing new clients and it was all about who he could hobnob with at the office that would further his career and which partners he could bond with in order to cement his place in the ladder of success there."

She's quiet for a minute. Then I can hear the bitterness in her words when she says, "Eventually I was more of a trophy than anything."

"What happened when you did tell him how you felt?"

She swallows. "We had a really bad fight one night. I'd found out Charlie had been calling and I wasn't getting the messages." And now I do see tears welling up. "I thought I was alone. I thought maybe Dad had found some new life to live in California and didn't have time to talk, but he'd been calling... all that time."

"I was so angry," she tells me. "And Alec …"

The way she's trailing off does not sit right with me. I hope for this guy's sake he didn't hurt her.

"Did he …?"

She shakes her head. "He was more into the intimidation approach. He liked to control everything. He might have threatened me once or twice, but Alec never hit me, no."

Thank the fucking gods.

I let out a relieved breath of air.

Bella's voice lowers. "I tried to make a determined effort to talk to Dad more often, but Alec still managed to keep me from him. He kept a lot things from me. And I was sick to my stomach most days, trying to figure a way out of the whole situation, but I just kept thinking there's gotta be a way to fix this, ya know?"

I pull her into me at that point. I just hold her. She always was a fixer. She liked to figure out ways to make any situation better, this was no different for her. It just took a larger toll.

She sniffs and turns her head, resting it against my chest.

"The baby?" I don't know if I should ask it but the words are out before I can second guess myself.

I feel her tense a little, but she answers me with solemn words. "I barely even knew I was pregnant. I mean, I was still trying to figure out a way to tell Alec without worrying over whether it would make him happy or mad." She takes a deep breath. "Turned out I didn't need to tell him. I went to see my doctor for these pains I was having. By then, I'd already miscarried."

She skips a few small beats before adding, "Apparently that happens a lot."

I'm speechless and if I'm being honest, I'm kinda glad she lost the baby. I don't know what kind of man that makes me. So I don't say it out loud. Instead I tell her that I'm sorry but she moves right along as though she didn't even hear me.

"Then Charlie died." She lets those words hang out there for a few moments. "After I got that call from one of his fishing buddies telling me about when he'd passed, I sat in front the mirror of our bathroom for _hours_, taking a long hard look at myself. I barely recognized the woman staring back at me anymore."

I shush her, because now she's full on crying in my arms and it's bad enough when women cry. I can't handle that but _Bella _crying ... It's tearing my heart out.

"I should have been there for my Dad, Edward. I should have ..."

"BellaBee, shh. That man knew you loved him. He still knows it."

She sobs and she's shaking. I have the sneaking suspicion this is the first time she's let herself break down like this. I don't know what else to do that might help so I just keep on holding her like that until she settles down.

When she does, she's done.

She sits up and wipes her face. She takes another drink of wine. She offers a smile. I reach out and swipe at the remaining tears and she traps my hand there against her face. She closes her eyes, and when she pulls my hand away, she kisses my palm. Then continues to hold my hand in hers while she finishes off her story.

"I didn't tell Alec about getting the house in the will, or any of the money Charlie's insurance policy had left me. I told him Dad had nothing left by the time he died. I started keeping my own secrets. It was about a year after that that I left him. And he doesn't take no for an answer, so he contested the divorce over and over until I finally just sucked it up and got myself the best lawyer I could find ... _and _the most expensive."

"But it's over?"

She nods. "By the time the divorce was final, I'd changed jobs three times and moved twice. It didn't take me long to realize I wasn't going to be able to live in the same city as him. Not that I wanted to, it wasn't home."

Which is why she likes to be near an airport. _Just in case._

"Is that when you moved back here?"

"No, I … I moved back to Sacramento for a while, tried to reconnect with some people but ..."

"It wasn't the same," I finish for her. I can see it in her eyes. She confirms my guess.

"When I stopped and gave myself some time to reflect … to really think about where I wanted to go, I thought of you."

My breath is a little shaky when I breathe out. I squeeze her hand a little.

"I'm glad."

This time when she smiles for me, it's genuine, and it's Bella.

"Me too."

"So, why does he think he has any claim to any of this now?" I ask her, looking around at Charlie's old home. "I mean, you kept it in an entirely separate account, so ..."

"I paid the mortgage on the house one month with my other account when he was travelling. I didn't know enough about our income to write a check from our joint account and I couldn't get a hold of him. According to these papers, because I used that money to pay for marital assets ... he's entitled."

Fuck.

What a dick, this guy.

"Sounds like a technicality."

Bella shrugs. "I didn't even think he'd notice," she says. "But I should have known he'd dig into things. He's very tenacious."

"He's a fucking asshole, is what he is."

I'm pissed. I don't think I've been this pissed off in the entire time I've worked for or run Data Dimensions.

"There's no reason to do this to you except to make your life miserable. I don't even know the guy and I can see that."

She's quiet. But I know she knows I'm right.

"Well, there's really nothing I can do about it. He's a lawyer, he knows lots of other lawyers ..."

"I know some fucking lawyers too, Bella, I can …"

She cuts me off. "No, I don't want to drag this out. Trust me, it's best if I just … I don't know, sell the house and give him half and be done with it."

"Sell the house?"

"I already spent the better part of the insurance money on my divorce lawyers."

"You love this house."

"I do, but I think I might love getting him out of my life once and for all even more. I can buy another house when I'm ready."

"You …"

"EC," she stops me again. "Trust me on this."

She stands up and straightens herself, then pulls me up off of the couch and tells me it's time to eat before pulling my suit jacket off.

The conversation is done as far as she's concerned.

"You might wanna roll those up," she says, gesturing toward my arms. So I begin removing the cuff links and set them next to each other on her end table. When I'm rolling my sleeves up, I catch her watching and grin.

"You always this particular these days, EC?" she teases and I laugh.

"Only about everything," I tell her and then, as we move things into the kitchen, she giggles and tucks a little hair away behind her ear.

Dinner pulls us into a much lighter conversation. Bella was always very good at changing the subject on me and I suppose I'm glad because I very much prefer her with this smile on her face and laughter in her voice than with tears in her eyes.

I tell her some more about Ben and my ideas about Data Dimensions. I tell her what my father said to me tonight and how if I can make this deal work, both companies could profit in more ways than just monetarily.

Bella gets this look of excitement and wonder while I'm talking, like she's proud of me but she doesn't come out and say it. I can feel it though, and that to me is worth more than ten times my salary.

She tells me about how her customer base grows every day and she's going to have to start thinking about hiring on someone new soon. This seems to make her more excited than the fact that by the time we're done eating, there isn't a leftover in sight.

I help with the dishes and she laughs at me when I rearrange the dishwasher to leave room for more plates.

When I grab a dish towel to wipe my hands, Bella walks up in front of me, takes the towel and tosses it away somewhere.

She pulls at my tie until it's off of me, then drops that onto the floor.

She unbuttons my shirt for me and I let her.

"I'm glad we decided to stay in tonight," I tell her softly, ghosting my fingers along her arms.

She smiles, pulling the shirt out of my pants. "Me too."

I push her hair over her shoulders and rub her neck a little. "Much better than some stuffy old restaurant."

She unzips my slacks. "Mmm hmmm."

I lick my lips and I'm breathing a little heavier. The anticipation with this woman kills me.

"You're amazing, you know that?" I ask her. And not just because her hand is on my dick now, but because even though she landed herself in a bad situation all those years ago, she found her way out again. She knows who she is and she could give a shit if anyone approves or not.

But I do.

"So are you, ya know," she retorts as she strokes softly. I'm fucking hard for her in a bad way.

"I'm kinda glad you left Boston when you did," I tell her and she stops momentarily, feigning a look of shock up at me.

"Edward, Cullen."

I smile. Then I cup her breast over her top. I graze her nipple then move both hands to each side of her face.

"I just mean that had you stayed, that kid I was … he might not have ever found the guts to tell you he loved you."

Bella's breath catches just before I kiss her. I don't want to know what her response is yet. I just want her to know how I feel. How she makes me feel. How having her back in my life has been the single best thing that's ever happened to me other than meeting her in the first place when we were nothing but pre-teens.

My lips nudge and she parts her lips. My tongue finds hers and I deepen the kiss.

And it's easy.

It is so fucking easy.

* * *

**A/N: Don't worry, I "researched" the legal bullshit. **

**Thanks for reading. My heart knows no bounds when it comes to you guys. Go vote for some of my favorite ladies (troublefollows, prettykitty) over at the lemonade stand's fic of the week poll. www . tehlemonadestand . net.  
**

**xoxoxo**


	7. Chapter 7, Stand

**A/N: Thank you, Sue and thank you mama. I love you for the time you take to help make these chapters work.  
**

**Song = "Kiss me Slowly" by Parachute**

* * *

******Chapter 7 "Stand"**

There's a familiar scene playing out when I get to school this morning. This fifth grader named Mike Reemer or, as his buddies call him, "Buzz" (because he always wears a buzz haircut) is hovering over someone. He looks like an eighth grader. I think he might even have a beard. And he's actually kinda smart book-wise, but not so much in the social aspects of elementary school. He likes to intimidate anyone and everyone who'll let him. He doesn't ever seem to really want anything in particular, he just likes to push people around and take whatever it is he's angry at out on the rest of us.

It's fun.

_Not._

Today he's picking on this new girl at school. Typically, I wouldn't get involved. I try to avoid Buzz at all costs unless I'm walking with Emmett, which I'm not, but something about the way she's staring up at him like he's an idiot makes me want to go see what's going on exactly.

People don't generally look at Buzz, much less look at him with so much … annoyance.

I find a spot just behind some lockers and watch. So do a few other people. They're just as mesmerized as I am, I guess.

"Wanna tutor me after school sometime?" he's asking her. This confuses me. Not only does Buzz _not _need tutoring but it's highly unlike him to sound this … _nice._

The new girl laughs a little, like he just told her a stupid joke and she's trying to be nice about it.

"I don't tutor, sorry."

She starts to walk past him but he gets in her way. He sounds a little _less _nice this time. "Well, how about a movie then. You do movies, right?"

"I do movies ... but no thanks."

She tucks some hair behind her ear and tries to keep moving forward. He stops her again.

"What's your problem?"

Ah, now there's the Buzz we all know and don't like very much.

New girl scowls up at him. "I don't have a problem, you're the problem. All I'm doing is trying to get to class."

My eyes go wide and I hear a few ooh's from the hallway. Now there's a small crowd forming.

I swallow and move closer.

"You're a snob, that's what you are. Here I'm trying to be nice and you're being a snobby … little … bitch."

_Good one, Buzz. _

Gasps and whispers surround them. I don't know why people give him this much attention. He only says stuff like that for shock value.

I roll my eyes and peek over a couple people's shoulders.

New girl's face grows stone cold.

"I am not a snob or a bitch. And I'm still trying to get to class," she tells him, taking another step. But this time, instead of just getting in her way, he pushes her books out of her hand and they fall to the floor. She looks like she wants to scratch his eyes out.

I kinda wish she would.

"Why don't ya pick those up … snob."

I can't take any more. I might be scared of him, but if someone doesn't say something, who knows what he'll do next.

I push past the people who have been blocking me. "Quit it, Buzz!" I yell out, hooking my backpack over my shoulder because I'm nervous as all get out and don't know what else to do. Out of habit, I look around for Emmett but he's not here this year. He's in Middle School.

He always says I should stand up to this guy. I guess now's the time.

People give me some space, or maybe they just don't wanna get in the line of fire as he glares over at me. "What'd you say, Cullen?"

"I said leave her alone, man. She didn't do anything."

New girl is picking up her books and a couple other girls are helping out while whispering something urgent to her.

Buzz walks over to me and I take a step back, but I'm not leaving, not 'til he backs off of the new girl.

"Mind your own business," he tells me with a point at my chest. I'm pretty sure I heard him growl at me too.

He must be hungry. That's never good.

I steel myself.

"No."

"What?"

"I said no. What's you're problem, anyway? Not getting enough attention at home or something? Big brother picking on you so you come here and pick on everyone else? Why can't you just leave everyone alone? Nobody cares what you have to say anyway."

I have no idea why I'm spewing word vomit at this guy. He's twice my size. But I feel like if I can get his attention off of new girl, he'll forget about her and move on.

And he does.

He moves on.

By punching me right in the face.

I fall backwards and hear everyone shouting stuff, but my ears are ringing so I don't know what it is they're saying. I think my head hit the lockers because it hurts right along with the rest of my face, and when I finally sit up again, I see the blood. I can taste it in my mouth and I try to catch most of it in my hands as it drips from my lips.

Luckily someone called a teacher because if Mr. Scalley hadn't walked up when he did, I might have been bleeding a whole lot more before Buzz was done. I might have even gotten a few broken bones for all I know.

A couple of my friends gather around to make sure I'm okay and Mr. Scalley tells them to take me to the nurse as he hauls Buzz toward the office. When I manage to get myself up and I look around for the new girl, she's already halfway down the hallway with those girls that helped her get her books, but she's peeking over at me.

And she's smiling.

xxxxxxx

Buzz Reemer was kicked out of school that day. It was his fifth assault since the school year began. He wasn't getting any more chances no matter who his father was. I never saw him again after that although rumors spread that he ended up in juvie. Who knows where he went from there.

I'm thinking about another bully as I watch Bella up the speed on her treadmill and begin to run.

I can't help but get lost for a minute or two remembering what she told me after my impromptu confession in her kitchen last night.

"_I love you too, EC," _she'd said when our kiss ended. She was breathless and smiling. And it was the best feeling when she said it to me. Like life could finally begin.

She spoke the words again after we had quick and dirty sex on one of her kitchen chairs. And then once more after we slowed it down back in her bedroom.

I'd pay good money to hear her say those words for the rest of my life.

I'm _going _to pay good money to make sure she can say them without worrying about assholes from her past giving her a difficult time. Ever again.

She eyes me, then smiles and takes the earbuds out of her ears.

"You know, when you invited me to use your company's gym this morning, I assumed you'd be working out _with _me."

I grin and copy the information I've found from my Google search, then I paste it into an email addressed to myself and hit send.

"I much prefer watching you do it."

She laughs.

I type out the address of Bella's father's home here in Boston into another email and send that off to an appraiser I know.

I have no idea if this ex of hers will even attempt to collect funds based on the value of her property here. It would be completely idiotic of him, but you never know. He doesn't sound very smart to begin with.

Besides, it's always good to have all of your ducks in a row. Just in case.

"What are you doing?" Bella asks as she ends her run and steps off of the treadmill. I close my laptop, swing my leg over the bench I've been sitting on for the past hour and stand.

"Just work."

I smile down at her and lean in. I press my lips to hers and they're salty from her sweat, but I truly don't care. It simply makes the kiss sweeter to me.

She hums and smiles against my lips. "I need a shower. Can I use one of these?"

"I have a private shower up in my office that's much nicer," I suggest and when she takes me up on it, I lead her up to the top floor. It's still early, so no one is in the office yet. She should be fine.

When I open the door to the washroom, Bella looks around and her mouth falls open a little when her eyes land on the shower. "That is _huge_, EC."

I shrug, I didn't see the need for it when the office was built for me, but Dad said an executive office should have a fucking shower, so it's got a fucking shower.

"It's never been used but the cleaning crew cleans it every week anyway." I laugh and Bella starts the water. Then she begins to take her clothes off.

"I'll let you get to it then," I tell her but she takes my hand in hers before I can go.

"Join me?" She smiles and lifts an eyebrow for me.

I grin back at her. "I took a shower this morning already, remember?"

"Edward, this is one of those showers that's just begging for someone to have sex in it. It's your shower; you really shouldn't let it go to waste like you do."

She pushes a little more to try and convince me, but honestly, she had me at "sex".

"How am I supposed to argue with that logic?" I ask her, unable to wipe the smile off of my face.

She shakes her head. "You're not. It would be rude."

I start removing my clothes too because she's right. It _would _be rude of me. Bella's in the shower before I finish and I make sure I hang everything up before I join her so nothing wrinkles and I look like I slept in my clothes for the remainder of the day.

I open the door and Bella's back is to me. She's letting the water spill over her. It looks to me like she's letting more than just the water wash away as it falls away from her.

I take her in from head to toe. She's fucking gorgeous. She always was, but this woman she's become ... the woman that loves me … I'm swimming in emotions that have been locked away since the day I had to say goodbye to her.

_Never again._

I grab the soap and swirl it between my hands as Bella gets her hair completely wet. She peeks back at me and I see her smile. After I set the soap back down, I push the suds over her shoulders, down her arms, ending at her hands.

Our fingers entwine and she pulls them around to her belly.

She guides me to where she wants me to feel her and I cup her breasts slowly ... meticulously. Her hands fall away to press against the shower's wall. The soap washes away from her skin and I kiss her shoulder, her neck. I pinch, I nibble. I can't get enough of her.

I whisper into her ear, "I love you, BellaBee," and her head falls a little to the side so I can kiss more of her.

"I love you too."

"So much," I murmur, letting my hand slide down in between her legs.

I push a couple of fingers into her and she hums. The sound gives me goosebumps. It also makes me hard and not wanting so much foreplay in our lives right now.

My hips press against her and she twists around, forcing my fingers from her warmth. When she's facing me, she takes a foot and rests it on the shower seat behind me. One hand wraps itself around my dick while the other hooks around my neck and she pulls me into a kiss.

My eyes close as I thrust into her hand. She rubs the tip of me against her and she's wet in a much different way than just having water splashed onto her. I can't do this. I can't wait anymore, so when she does it again, I push into her.

Desperation for more of her escapes in the sound of a groan, and I lift her up a little so I can get as deep as I possibly can inside of her.

I press her against the wall and she uses the seat behind me for leverage while I take her other leg and let it rest over the crook of my elbow.

I push again.

She immerses herself in our kiss.

Her hands are in my hair, grasping and fisting. Her breathing is erratic.

_My_ breathing is erratic.

Bella's hips are shifting now and I know she's close. She moves with purpose and I settle a hand between us, letting my thumb find her clit. I love the sounds she makes when I do find it and it makes me thrust into her all the harder.

When she comes, our lips break apart and she cries out. The sound is vibrating against the walls and it sounds like music to me.

It also causes me to come. It's intense. It makes me want to bite something but I don't, that would fucking hurt her, so I kiss her instead. And as we settle down from the highs, I lower her so she's standing on her own two feet again.

I slow the kisses. I move them to her cheeks, her eyes, her forehead. Then I rest mine against hers and we begin to laugh.

I grow serious after only a few moments and remind her, in case she's forgotten, "I love you."

Bella's breathing slows and she smiles up at me, and then suggests, "You should use this shower more often."

I raise an eyebrow and correct her.

"I should use this shower with _you _more often."

We're kissing under the falling water one last time when I hear a laugh and then the door to the bathroom swings open and I curse myself for not locking the door.

"Guess who's back, bro!" he says a little louder than he usually might. "Hey, since when you do you shower at work?"

I'm a hundred percent sure he thinks I'm in here alone despite the woman's gym bag sitting on the floor, but I can't open my mouth in time to stop him.

The shower door swings open.

Bella screams while Emmett yells out, "Swirly time!" When he sees the position we're in, he laughs. "Oh shit, sorry dude." Then he realizes who I'm with and a look of confusion washes over his face. "Bella?"

She gives him a wave as she hides behind me. "Hey, Emmett."

He stands there, shocked for a moment, and then comes to his senses. "I'll, um, give you two a minute."

He closes the door and I hear him chuckle to himself as he does it. Then Bella and I laugh as well.

"Shit."

"It's okay, Edward, I'm sure he's seen naked women before."

"Not this particular woman," I tell her as I turn the shower off and retrieve a couple of towels for us.

She giggles again and I try to extinguish the need to kill my brother.

xxxxx

Thirty minutes later, Emmett is in the lobby when I walk Bella to the elevator. He's chatting with Corie who's just arrived to get her day started. I ignore the look of curiosity she gives my and Bella's hands, clasped between us.

I might even squeeze a little tighter.

We walk over to the elevator and I push the button for her. It's ready and waiting and the doors slide open far too soon for me.

"I'll see ya later," Bella tells me with a smirk.

"Have a good day," I mutter as I kiss her goodbye. She tucks some hair behind her ear before waving to Emmett and getting into the elevator.

When the doors close, he backhands me in the arm.

"You dog."

"Good morning, Corie," I say to the woman behind the receptionist's desk and she smiles for me. Blushes even.

"And shut up, Emmett," I tell my brother, and then head back to my office.

He follows me.

"I leave for what, twelve days? I come back to you doing the deed … in your office shower … with BellaBee?"

I point over at him. "I said shut up."

He barks out a loud laugh. "When did all this happen anyway?"

I avoid looking over at him as I clear my throat. "Since the wedding."

He doesn't need to know the details of how Bella seduced me into a supply closet. But he can tell I'm not telling him something.

He waits for more but I don't give him much.

"We've been … catching up."

"Okay, you keep your secrets, little bro," he tells me then pushes me so that I crash into the wall just like he did when we were kids. "I think it's cool."

Now I can look at him. "Yeah?"

"Hell yeah … Rose is gonna get a kick outta this when I tell her."

We stop in front of my office. I ask him what's on his plate for this week and he tells me that, from what he understands via his assistant, there's some major sales clean up he needs to do, but I've suddenly got a better idea.

I shake my head. "Mmm, no, that's not gonna to work out. I need you to take a trip with me."

"Huh? Ed, I just got back. There's shit to do. Where is it we'd need to go?"

"Phoenix."

He scrunches his face up at me. "Say what? We don't have clients in Phoenix."

"It's not a client."

"Well then why are we going?"

"I'll explain on the way."

He scowls but he's still smiling. "Okay ... Captain _Cryptic_."

He heads back to his office and I make a call to our company jet. I have about three hours until they're ready for take-off, and before we go, I have a few things to take care of so everything works out perfectly.

I'm also going to need a suit. A very expensive one.

I start the day off by faxing a request over to my attorney for some legal papers I'll need later on.

Then I put another call in to Harry Clearwater and ask him if he's thought about what we discussed over lunch the day before. He says he has. He also says Val-Turi has made a lot of promises that make passing up the opportunity with them a bit hard to ignore.

Instead of telling him Val-Turi is full of shit, I tell him I'm willing to put everything we talked about in writing.

He says he appreciates my passion about dealing with them and that he'll let me know his decision within the next few days. I'm feeling a little defeated after we end the call. Things don't sound promising, but I remind myself of Data Dimension's reputation and that I can't expect my first attempt at changing things around to be successful.

Regardless, I start the process of doing exactly what I just told Clearwater I would do as soon as I'm off the phone with him. I figure it can't hurt. I have Kate put what I've scribbled into a document and ask her to take it to legal herself when she's done. I want a copy by the time I'm back.

She'll handle it. She always does.

The rest of the morning is spent on cleaning up my inbox, and when I receive the fax from my attorney that includes the papers I asked for, I know it's time.

I ping Emmett and tell him we need to go. He waits until we're in the car to ask me anything.

"So … what's going on here, Ed? Some crazy company you wanna acquire out in Phoenix that you found while Googling or something?"

I huff and roll my eyes. My brother may be a smart ass, but he knows me too well.

"No."

"They wanna acquire _us_?"

I eye him. Sometimes it's like he's inside my head. Only just a tad off in left field.

"No."

"Then what? You are _all _riled up today. Spill."

I explain Bella's situation to him and how I'm not about to let some brainless asshole take her last piece of Charlie away from her.

He asks questions. The last being, have I discussed this with her yet? I tell him no. I need to make it happen before she does anything crazy like sell that house, and besides that, I'm not a hundred percent sure she'd let me do it if she knew.

"You're not worried about how she might react to you taking care of her problems for her?"

I won't lie. I'm a little worried. But I'm more concerned about how losing Charlie's house will affect her. If she's angry with me, I'll deal with that when it happens.

Emmett asks a few more questions on the airplane, but for the most part, he's listening to music on his iPhone. I'm reading over the documents I've had drawn up to make sure there's absolutely no way this guy can come back for anything after this is done.

There isn't.

Jay Jenks, my attorney, is the fucking best there is.

xxxxx

"I need you to look scary," I tell Emmett as we stand in the lobby of Bella's ex's law firm.

"What?"

"Just do it."

"How the hell am I supposed to look scary, Ed?"

I shrug. The ex is walking towards us now. "I don't know … growl at him or something."

I ignore whatever look my brother gives me after that and concentrate on holding the stare of the dickhead coming at me.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" he asks as he approaches us. The first thing he does is check out the Armani suit I'm wearing that I had Kate purchase for me today. It's worth more than the office space he's renting here and he knows it.

Intimidation tactic number one. _Check._

I size him up a little. Maybe longer than I should. This is intimidation tactic number two.

Side note, I don't get what Bella saw in this guy.

"Alec Deets?"

He nods. "That's me."

I pull out the papers I have and hand them to him.

He looks them over, only he's not _really _looking them over. Then he sees the check I've attached to the papers and pulls it out from under the paper clip holding it there.

"What's this?"

"_This_ is far more than one month's mortgage payment on your home here in Phoenix. It's ten times what Miss Swan paid when she very generously sent a check in to your mortgage company to make sure you didn't miss a payment a couple of years ago."

He's cautious all of a sudden.

"And who are you?"

"We represent Miss Swan."

It's really all he needs to know.

He studies us.

"Mmm hmm … what kind of law firm are you representing exactly?"

He's pompous. I hate pompous. I want to squash pompous like an ant.

He's also made an assumption I was hoping he would.

"The unconventional kind."

His eyes blink and then slide over to look up at Emmett.

My brother stands about two feet above this guy. He doesn't say a word. He just glares at the ex. This is good.

"Maybe I should let my lawyer handle this …" he starts to say with a little bit of hesitation in his voice, but I cut him off.

"Your lawyer will tell you the same thing we told them this morning. That Miss Swan was more than gracious when she sent that check in to make sure _your _house payments didn't go late. That we have the means to _retract _that money so that the payment is struck from your records."

His brow dips. He's confused. So I spell it out for him.

"Since there was no reference to any account number on the check she sent in to your mortgage company, there would be no way of proving Miss Swan's intention was to pay _your _mortgage and not her own in Boston, therefore making you …" I whisper into Emmett's ear for dramatic effect and he nods. _Intimidation tactic number three._ "Approximately twenty-three months behind on that payment."

I'm betting everything on the fact that he has a deep seeded love for his money and won't want to part with it despite the fact that it won't affect him in terms of the long run.

I'm hoping this goes my way. If it doesn't, I'll need a plan B. I don't have a plan B. I should have thought about a plan B, I think, as he stands there staring at the number on the check I've given him.

He's thinking about it. That's a good thing, but I need make more of an effort with him. It's difficult when all I want to do is deck him, but I push that instinct down.

"I can run the numbers for you if you'd like," I offer politely. "I'm fairly certain the amount you would owe will come to far more than what we're offering you to settle this matter once and for all."

He looks at me with curiosity. Then Emmett again, who indeed growls this time, and I have to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

The ex looks back to me.

"I trust you have a Notary in the building?" I ask.

He nods and gestures toward his receptionist who joins him when he walks over to a table and chairs meant for visitors. He takes a seat and scans the document I've had written up.

_So close._

He breathes in long. Thoughtful. Then he lets it out.

And then he signs the papers.

_Hot. Fucking. Damn. _It worked.

I smirk as he has his receptionist notarizes the paper, but I put it away again before he strides over to Emmett and me.

"I'll need a copy of this," he says.

"Of course," I tell him, calm, cool and collected.

I check the signatures. I fold the papers and slip them into my jacket pocket. Emmett and I turn to go but as we're pulling the door open, Bella's ex stops me.

"I didn't get your name."

I smile for him and it's genuine. He's not getting my name.

"I'm the guy who's reaping the benefits of your epic fuck up."

We leave, and it's not until we're in the elevator and the doors close that I make eye contact with Emmett again.

He's staring at me like I'm crazy. Maybe I am. I really don't give a shit though. Bella's free of this guy. That was my goal.

I let my head fall back against the elevator wall. "He's not _that _great a lawyer, if ya ask me," I tell the ceiling.

"Did you really talk to his lawyers this morning?"

I shake my head. "I talked to ours. They said it was a long shot but that it was a viable argument."

He laughs.

"You're even better than I thought you were."

"Don't fuck with me when it comes to negotiations."

He holds his hands up. "You mean bluffing."

"Same thing."

He shakes his head but he's still looking at me like I'm crazy.

"What?"

"I didn't think it'd even happen."

"What?"

"You ... falling head over heels, completely stupid, you'd do anything for her in love."

I let what he's said sink in. He's right. I've never felt like this about anyone. But I tell him straight up, "It's BellaBee, Em."

His smile is proud. "It sure as hell is."

We catch our jet and head back home. I stare out the window at clouds as we speed by them. I think about Bella and how much of a weight it will feel like has lifted off her shoulders when I hand her these papers, knowing the ex won't ever bother her again. She can finally close that chapter and leave it behind.

Regardless of whether or not she's angry with me.

The only thing I have to do now is figure out a way to convince Clearwaters that Data Dimensions is the way to go.

It doesn't look like I'll be thinking for too long though. When we land, the first text I receive is from Kate. Clearwaters has invited me to a board meeting tomorrow morning, at their offices, along with a few executives from Val-Turi.

Harry's made his decision.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to the ends of the Earth for reading, ladies & gentlepeople.  
**

**BIG. Love.  
**

**xoxoxo  
**


	8. Chapter 8, Endure

**A/N: Broken record alert but whatever. I love them. THANK YOU Sue & mama. Your time is valuable. I'm lucky you make some for me.  
**

**Song = "Below my Feet" by Mumford and Sons**

* * *

**Chapter 8 "Endure" **

"Dinosaur." Bella points up at the sky. I turn my head away from the clouds I've been studying to confirm, indeed, she's found a Dinosaur up there.

We're lying on our backs and the sun just popped out from behind a big one. I'm blinded for a few seconds but then I can see again.

"Cool. It totally looks just like a T-Rex, too."

She scowls up at it. "I was thinking more along the lines of one of those big plant eaters."

"Titanosaurus."

"Yeah, that one."

It's totally not a titanosaurus, but I'm not telling Bella that. Today she's right, even when she's wrong.

"I see it."

She smiles and then it's forgotten when she spots a new cloud I just found.

"Elephant," I state and she points to one next to it.

"Mouse."

"Elephant chasing mouse."

BellaBee giggles.

"Oh! Look! Bat!"

"Bat? How do you see a bat?"

"I dunno, I watched this movie last night about Dracula. Maybe I have vampires on the brain today."

I roll my eyes. Then I find a good one. The best of the day maybe.

"Snoopy!"

"Oh my god, that is so Snoopy!"

"Look for Woodstock."

"You don't _look _for them, EC, they just … appear."

"I disagree. I think we see what we wanna see."

"Nope," she insists with conviction. "We see what they _show _us. And when we're ready to see something else, we just do."

Sometimes Bella talks complete circles around me.

I start to debate with her over it, but, like I said, today she's right.

We lay there under the late August sky and watch more clouds. After a while, we talk. About the last school year, about our monster movie list, trips to the pool this summer. Anything but what is happening in a very short while.

Time flies by, leaving me feeling a little cheated.

I should have woken up earlier today.

Bella checks her watch at some point. "I gotta go," she says, but even she doesn't get up right away.

I let out a sigh then stand. I offer her my hand and help her up.

We walk back to her house in silence. The U-Haul is already running and Bella's dad is waiting patiently for her while her mom sits in the passenger seat of the truck.

I thought we'd have a little while longer.

Bella stops when we're at the corner across from her house.

"What's wrong?"

She shrugs but doesn't say anything. She's just staring at the U-Haul. I think her lip just trembled a little.

I feel helpless right now, but I put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm gonna miss you."

She nods. "Me too."

"You have my email address, right?"

"Mmm hmm."

"And my phone number? Did I give you my address?"

"Yeah," she tells me.

Her dad taps his wrist, letting her know they don't have all night, and before I can say anything else to fill the emptiness, she throws her arms around my neck and squeezes tight.

I hug her back. Part of me feels like maybe if I refuse to let go, maybe she won't have to leave. But even I'm not that dumb.

I know I have to let her go.

I feel her body shaking a little and she squeezes harder.

"I'm gonna miss you so much, EC." Her voice is high and it squeaks a little.

And now _I'm _the one who's speechless.

I bury my face into her shoulder until we hear Mr. Swan call for her. Then she slides away from me, wipes her tears, and tries to smile.

Her lips are still shaking though.

"I'll call you."

She nods and turns, and then goes to meet her dad over at the truck. He hugs her for a minute, then pats her on the back and she climbs up into the truck.

Mr. Swan beeps the horn and waves to me. I wave back, straining to see if I can spot Bella in between him and her mom, but I can't. I watch the truck until it's just a spot on the horizon, then I walk the rest of the way home.

Inside, even Emmett doesn't give me grief. He just grins over at me when I pass him and the rest of my family to go upstairs to my room.

I close the door and fall down into my bed.

My chest hurts. I can't breathe. I have no power here and it makes me so angry.

She's never coming back.

I roll over and stare up at my ceiling. My eyes are wet and I'm exhausted.

I lay like that until I fall asleep.

Wishing there was a way to make them come back and just … stay.

xxxxxxx

As I enter the room full of executives and board officers at Clearwaters, Inc., I can't help but think about Bella. We didn't get the chance to connect last night like I'd hoped. There was just too much to prepare for with today's meeting and she was exhausted from a day of baking on the fly. She'd had a last minute catering request from a high paying client.

Tonight I'll make time, though, regardless of how this meeting goes.

I wonder how she'll react to what I've done as people mingle and chat.

Will she be grateful? Angry? Will she be so overwhelmed by my gesture that she'll be rendered speechless?

_Not likely._

Emmett's warnings have caused me to think about all of it more than I might have before we left for Phoenix, and for the first time in a very long time, I'm second guessing my actions.

I don't have time to worry right now though. Right now, I have business to discuss and a deal to make. Hopefully.

When Ben, who is sitting with the Val-Turi group, sees me walk in with Dad, Emmett and Jasper, he is visibly uncomfortable. He clearly did not know we'd be attending today.

He avoids making eye contact with any of us, and I pretend I don't see him as he slinks back into his chair, nestled between Mark and Aaron Windsor.

I'm pretty fucking smug about it though.

People take their seats and Dad leans over to ask me quietly if I saw Ben. I nod and Emmett questions me silently. I forgot he hasn't been around for the past couple of weeks' observations, but I assure him I'll fill him in after we're done here.

Jasper checks his notes in front of him and Dad quietly texts with a grin on his face.

_Must be Mom._

Emmett is getting himself some of the snacks laid out for us, and I'm staring at the table in front of me, thinking about Bella again.

When Harry walks in, with Seth at his side, he acknowledges Mark and me but his facial expression gives nothing away. There's no way for me to know which way he's leaning on this. It could go either way.

The room quiets, Harry and Seth exchange nods, and then Harry begins with, "I've been very honored to have two of the most successful businesses on the Northeastern seaboard interested in acquiring Clearwaters, Gentlemen. But what has truly has me curious is the two very different takes on what should happen, if a merger is to take place."

Mark opens his mouth to say something, but Harry discourages it. The fact that Windsor is gesturing in my direction tells me he wants to inform Harry that I'm not to be trusted.

I remain silent.

Nothing I say will make a difference at this point.

"I feel that," he starts, then turns to Seth. "_We_ feel ... that what this comes down to is not only which proposal suits our company best, but who we believe."

His eyes dart to me for only a second before he looks away and finishes his thought.

"Who we _trust._"

It's when he says that word that I resign myself to the idea that he's not going with Data Dimensions. Why should he? We've never once kept a company fully intact after acquiring it, and we've yet to reinstate any of the programs I spoke to him about over lunch.

That was the whole point though. To make the effort.

But perhaps I'm a day late and a dollar short on certain efforts these days.

I notice Dad fidgeting beside me. I've filled him and the rest of the board in on my idea by now. He's nervous for me. And I'm distracted for a few moments, thinking about what he said to me this week. About how Mom was always the most important and that it was never a choice for him between her and work.

My mind immediately flies to Bella, once again.

I wonder what I'm doing here. Why I didn't go to her first thing this morning to tell her about my trip yesterday. Why I'm still arguing with myself about it.

I stand to go, only to be joined by my father, Emmett and Jasper, who all look rather pleased.

I look from them to Harry, who's smiling over at me, and then I take a peek down at the Windsor brothers and see the disappointment covering their faces.

He chose _us_.

He fucking chose us.

I smile wide when I realize what's just happened, and it doesn't take Harry very long to shut Mark down when he tries to argue the decision. He leaves in a huff with his brother, but I notice Ben lingering in the hallway as I approach the Clearwaters.

"Thanks Harry, I promise you won't be disappointed," I tell him, feeling elated.

Like I could literally fucking fly if I wanted to.

Things are going nowhere but up at Data Dimensions after this, and VT can kiss my ass.

I hand Harry the file folder I brought with me that has the documents I asked Kate to put together. He takes it and tells me, while he's looking over what I've given him, "Seth was the one who really pushed me over the edge, you know."

"Really?" I turn to his son and extend a hand. "Thank you, Seth. You're not gonna regret this."

Seth smirks slightly and shrugs. "Don't flatter yourself, Cullen. It's not like VT was a huge competition after I got wind that they dabble in some shady dealings over at NASDAQ."

"Do they now?" I reply, curious.

His brow lifts as he nods.

_Interesting._

I wonder where he gets his information from and am immediately thinking that he and Jasper are going to work _very _well together.

"Would you like to stay and discuss more about the employee perks program, Edward?" Harry offers. "I'm free all afternoon if you'd ..."

"No," I tell him. Because although I am anxious to get back to the basics of making our employees excited to come to work every day again, I'm much more anxious about seeing Bella. "I've got a previous engagement, but I'm sure Jasper would love to talk numbers, if you don't mind."

He laughs and gives me a knowing look. He understands. "Not at all. Call me tomorrow and we'll talk more."

"I will."

I tell Dad I'm catching a cab back home and that I'll see him tomorrow. I give Emmett a wink and a smile as I leave. In the hallway, Ben is waiting at the elevator.

"Listen, Edward, about that …" He waves toward the conference room. "I was just trying to play double agent so I could get the scoop on what Val-Turi had up their sleeve, ya know? I wasn't …"

"Hey Ben," I say, cutting him off. He's wasting his breath here. "I need you to do something for me."

He becomes the kiss ass I never knew he had in him.

"What do you need me to do, Ed? Anything, just tell me."

Oh _now _he wants to be a team player.

I lean in. "I need you to pack your shit and leave the office."

He steps back, shocked. "What?"

"Today."

The elevator door opens and I step in as he's telling me, "You can't …"

I turn and press the button for the lobby. "I can, and I am." I smile. "You're fired, Ben," I begin as the doors start to close. Then I add, with a small wave, "Have a good one."

I can't wipe the grin off of my face as the elevator descends, and while I'm walking out to hail a cab, I text Bella. I tell her I have great news. That I want to celebrate with her. That I'm going home to change, but to be ready in about an hour because I'm taking her out to dinner, period.

I turn my phone off and slip it into my coat pocket. I don't want to know if she says no. That she can't. I'm taking her out whether she likes it or not.

At the condo, I tip the cabbie way too fucking much. I grin at Felix when I pass him on my way to the elevator like I'm that fourteen year old kid again who just got kissed by his best friend and the most beautiful girl in the universe.

Felix looks like he wants to say something, but I'm in a hurry, I have no time for chit chat, so I rush to the elevator and take it up to my floor.

When the doors open again, and I enter my foyer, I see her.

Bella.

She's standing at the sliders, looking out at the city, but when she hears me, she turns.

She looks like she's been crying.

"Are you okay? How did you …?"

"Felix let me up," she says. And before I can get another word out, she asks me with anger in her voice, "You visited Alec?"

Shit.

"That dick _called _you?"

"He called my lawyer. And of course he called, Edward, did you really think he wouldn't?"

"I …"

"He said he's suing you for falsely representing yourself."

I laugh. "I never said I was someone I wasn't."

"That I can kiss my father's house goodbye and that those papers aren't legal that you had him sign."

I take my coat off. "Well that's bullshit. He read them, he signed them, and a notary witnessed it. I have one of the best lawyers in Boston; he's not getting out of signing them."

"He'll find a way around whatever it is you did, Edward, believe me."

I throw my coat over the chair and go to her. "Bella."

"Don't." She shrugs out of my grasp when I try to take her into my arms. This is when I think that maybe she's really mad at me, but when I study her eyes I think … maybe it's something else.

She swipes at a tear that spills over her lashes as she looks out at the city again. It's possible there's more to her and the ex than I know.

And I'm thinking I wish I'd decked the asshole, after all.

I reach for her hand again. This time, she lets me take it.

"You can't let him do this," I whisper and she looks up at me.

"Do what? Control my life even _after _I've left him? Is that what you mean?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

She laughs, but it's not because she thinks I'm funny.

"You don't know him."

"I know plenty of people like him though. He's only doing this because he thinks it'll affect you, just like any other bully out there in the world. He accepted payment, he signed the fucking papers ... I'm telling you, it's over."

"He …" she says, stopping short in an attempt to keep herself from losing her temper. She's not doing a very good job of it. "You gave him _money_?"

"I gave him more than what was fair," I tell her, and when I see the look on her face in reaction to that information, I stop myself from arguing about it further. This is not how I expected this conversation to go down. I had planned on explaining myself a little better than this. Under much more amicable circumstances.

Bella pulls her hands from mine and goes to get her things.

"What are you doing?"

"I should probably go, Edward."

I assume she means go from the condo … go home for a little while … go think about things … but with her next words, I realize how wrong I am.

"I can't stay here and have you take care of my problems for me, and it's only a matter of time now before he brings this fight to you … it's not fair … I won't put you through that."

It registers, what she's saying, and I feel a crease forming between my eyes. Then I shake my head.

"You're not leaving Boston."

She can't leave. I won't let her.

She spins. "I'm not?"

"No."

"And now who's trying to control me? You don't own me, Edward … _nobody _owns me."

"I'm not trying to …" I stop myself before I say something completely idiotic. She's angry and scared. I can't tell if she's trying to convince me or herself that she's her own woman now, but the last thing I want her to think is that I'm no better than the ex.

I _need _her to not think that.

"Bella."

She settles down, takes a breath. But her eyes don't meet mine. Not yet.

I swallow. "Do you remember when you left? Back when we were kids?"

_There they are._

"Yeah."

I take a step toward her and tell her with my hand on my heart. "I was crushed that day."

She nods. "Me too."

"I couldn't eat for weeks. Nothing was right after that."

She lets out a small laugh. Just a small one. But it's enough. "I cried halfway across the United States," she tells me. "My mom was so annoyed with me."

I smile and take another step. When she doesn't retreat, I make my confession.

"I should have talked to you first … before going out to Phoenix."

Her lips thin and her eyebrow raises a little. "Yeah, you should have."

"It'll never happen again," I promise. Another step ... and she's within my reach now. So I take her hand one more time and place it against my chest. Right where my heart resides. "But you have to understand something. It's _you _who owns _me_. You always have. Lock, stock, and barrel. And if I can't do something like this, for you, with all the useless money I have … what good is it? What good is _any _of it?"

Her lips part and her eyes are much softer now.

I can't talk; I'm too busy trying to settle my heart rate down. It's not until she says something that that's possible.

"I own you, huh?" she asks with quiet words. I nod and squeeze her hand a little.

"My heart, my head, my money ... What's mine is yours, don't you know that?"

She smiles like she does now and then her posture straightens. "I'm paying you back. I don't care how much it was, you're letting me do this. Even if it takes decades, EC."

She really doesn't know how much it was. And I don't care. I'm giving her this one. Especially if it means she'll be in my life for decades to come.

I grin down at her. "Deal, but Bella, at some point in time, you have to stop running from this guy."

She knows this. I'm just hoping ...

"I'd be a lucky man if you stop the running right here ... with me."

She doesn't answer. And I'm praying that's a good thing when she reaches up onto her tippy toes to kiss me … and when her hands slide out of mine, only to work their way up around my neck, mine find her hips. They grasp at her clothes and find warm skin underneath.

I guide her to the couch and we fall down into it. I kiss her lips and neck; I find her breasts when her top is gone.

We're working our way slowly into bliss and I don't know if this is a hello or a goodbye, but it feels good. It always feels so good.

I don't know that there's anything left for me to tell her that might sway Bella's decision on what to do with her life. She's more than likely already made up her mind, but there is one thing I still want to say. Something I _need _to say. Because I've never been so scared to lose something in my entire existence. Because even if I had no control over things twenty years ago, I wish I'd said it then. And because now I can.

"Stay," I mutter with a shaky voice. I barely get it out and it comes off as more of a desperate plea when I whisper it into her ear.

Then I say it again.

More carefully this time.

"Please stay."

* * *

**A/N: THANK YOU a million times over for reading. I'm a lucky mofo. BIG LOVE to you all.  
**

**XOXOXOXO  
**


	9. Chapter 9, Last

**A/N: THANKs for reading, my fellow fanficaholics.  
**

**Song = Regina Spektor "How"**

* * *

**Chapter 9. "Last"**

I'm standing behind a familiar door, with a familiar DJ's voice speaking from the other side. But my favorite familiarity today is the beautiful woman standing at my side.

"You could probably still bail, EC," she tells me with her eyes glued to the door in front of us. "I mean, it's not like we've consummated this or anything." She side eyes me. "_Yet_."

She's teasing.

She's also nervous. She's been here before, but not with me. I'm going to make her see what marriage is with the right person.

The wrong one is long gone. It took him a while, and maybe a phone call from a friend of mine at the Boston PD (after discussing it with Bella that is), but he's gone. For Bella, now, he's just a memory who's scars are fading every day.

"Not a chance, BellaBee," I tell her just as Kate runs up from out of nowhere. She's out of breath.

"Edward, I'm so sorry … Hi Bella." Bella smiles at my assistant then turns to face forward again with a shit eating grin on her face. She thinks she's just won a bet she had going with Emmett.

She's wrong.

"Kate, not now."

"But Development called, they said to tell you …"

"Kate," I say and she finally stops for a minute. "Tell them I'm busy."

"But …"

"Call Seth, tell him to handle it, he'll love that."

"Are you sure?" she asks me, and to my surprise, so does Bella.

Okay, maybe I'm not that surprised. But I _am _sure.

"Without a doubt."

Now I'm the one with the shit eating grin and I adjust my cufflinks to avoid Bella's eyes for now. I don't know if I'm going to be able to avoid the smirk that wants to spread across my lips though.

"Well I hope you turned your phone off because you know they're gonna call you," Bella says confidently as Kate disappears.

I laugh, and just as the man in charge of announcements says, "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen!" I tell her, "Didn't bring it."

We're doing things a little differently than my brother and Rose had quite some time ago. For one thing, this is a much smaller affair. Family and close friends is where the guest list ends. Secondly, Bella is carrying our child inside of her right now.

She told me a couple of weeks ago at Data Dimensions first holiday party after our merger with Clearwaters. It was a tie for the second best day of my life.

The first being the day I met her.

It's still early on in the pregnancy, which is why we aren't telling anyone other than Emmett and Rose for the time being, but I'm confident this baby will have no issues whatsoever.

Call it a gut feeling.

The DJ plays our first dance song right off the bat, and as Regina Spektor's voice begins to sing I pull my wife on to the dance floor. She's absolutely stunning today, and as she smiles up at me, I think of the day she magically appeared again. I wonder if, had I not gotten sloshed with my brother, would I have left the reception early to take care of more business, and not seen her that day? Would Dad have still gotten her number from Emmett or would he have left with me as well? Would I have not seen her at _all _after that?

I'm glad I'll never know the answer to those questions.

I spin Bella and spot Emmett. He's standing with Rose and his arms are crossed. He's also grinning like the big goofball he's always been, and I thank God he is who he is.

I owe him.

I dip my wife as Regina sings about times when things went wrong, knowing exactly when that happened for me. And when, ultimately, it all went right again.

Once we're standing upright, I see my parents, holding hands in the background, smiling as they watch us on the dance floor.

Dad officially retired earlier last year. I've never seen him happier.

When I glance down at Bella again, she tilts her head slightly.

"What a lucky woman I am," she tells me, and I huff a small laugh out as I raise an eyebrow at her.

"I think you've got that backwards."

She shakes her head. Then slips a hand behind my neck and pulls me down into a soft kiss that promises many more like it, later on. And then some. When our lips part, our foreheads rest against each other and she sighs.

"No, I don't."

The way she says it stops me from correcting her again, and the rest of our dance is quiet, with only small expressions of love passing between the two of us.

She's wrong though. I _am _the lucky one.

Lucky she came back into my life. Lucky she came into my life at all.

And lucky my mother used to love having people over for dinner, who just moved into town.

xxxxxxx

It's two days after Buzz clocked me at school. My jaw still hurts a lot, but the good news is that it's Saturday. And I have nothing to do but try and beat Emmett's high score in Tetris on the Nintendo.

That's what I thought, anyway, until I walk downstairs and my father makes an announcement at the breakfast table.

"Your mother met a very nice woman at PTA this week; she's new in town and has a daughter about your age, Edward. We've invited them over for dinner tonight."

"What?" Emmett and I whine out in harmony. We hate dinner parties for different reasons, but still ... hate them.

"I want you both to help clean the house up before they get here."

"Which is when?"

"Five o'clock."

"_Daaaaaaad_." Emmett drags the word out like that's going to make a difference. "I was gonna play tackle football with Tony and Mike this afternoon."

"Yeah, you'll need to cancel that, son," Dad tells him.

"But …"

"Listen," Mom interrupts unexpectedly, snapping both our attentions to her and her alone.

"I like to have play dates too, you know. The Swans can't get a sitter and they don't want to leave Bella home alone, so they're bringing her with them, and the two of you," she eyes us pointedly, "are going to cooperate."

We're quiet for a minute. Emmett knows he's defeated when Mom jumps in so he's not about to argue, but he still has to have the last word.

"Guy don't have _play dates, _Mom," he tells her and she just laughs. Dad shakes his head and we eat breakfast, but I'm still thinking about what mom just said.

Specifically, _who_ she just said.

She said Bella. Bella Swan. That's the new girl. The one I got a bloody lip over. I haven't seen her since "the incident" and I wonder if she knows my name and that this is the house she's coming to later on. I wonder if she'll even recognize me at _all_.

If she does, how embarrassing will _that _be? And if she doesn't, and she comes over here and sees me with this swollen lip, she'll think I'm some sort of trouble maker or something.

Great.

_Thanks, Mom._

After breakfast, she gives us each a list of things she wants done around the house so we don't make a bad impression on her new friend. I spend the time I'm cleaning to try and think up a reason to skip dinner.

Maybe I can fake the flu. Or make myself throw up or something.

I try a couple of times, throughout the day, to play sick for Mom, but she's not buying it. I try to steal some time away to play Tetris, too, but she won't let that happen either.

By four, I'm exhausted and annoyed. I don't know if it's more at my mom for inviting complete strangers over on a _Saturday_, or at the new girl for ruining my Tetris marathon.

I go upstairs and grab a shower at mom's command, and when I get out, she's even laid clothes out for me to wear, including khakis (puke) and a brand new looking Izod.

I roll my eyes.

I mean, what am I? Six?

I toss what she's left for me into the dirty laundry basket, and pull out what I wanna wear from my closet.

_Jeans and a t-shirt, baby._

I throw my tennis shoes on, and when I hear the doorbell ring, I slowly start down the stairs. I stop before they can see me and spot two sets of adult feet, then …

"This is our daughter, Bella," the dad says, pulling her out from behind them.

I don't know why I have a tight stomach right now. Maybe I _am _sick.

"Hello, Bella, it's very nice to meet you," I hear Mom say. "Let me just call the boys down. Edward! Emmett!"

Emmett tears past me and almost knocks me right down the stairs. I follow him a little slower, and as Bella comes into view, I see her shaking hands with my brother. Then her eyes flash to mine and I can't hide anymore.

She doesn't seem impressed or unimpressed and she looks away pretty fast. I can't tell if she recognizes me or not.

By the time I'm down there, Emmett's already off talking to Dad and Mr. Swan about football at the high school and how he thinks he has a good chance at making the team.

Mom takes Bella's mother into the kitchen to show her where to put the food she's brought, and that just leaves me and the new girl.

I stare at the top of her head, then I rock on the heels of my shoes a little, searching for something to say, but I can't think of anything.

"Hi," she says.

Jeeze. I'm so stupid. Why didn't I think of that?

"Hi," I say back, smiling politely. I'm finding myself staring out the front door at nothing so I won't stare at her head like a dolt. Plus I have no idea where to go from here with a girl. Not this close up anyway.

"That was pretty cool what you did at school the other day," she tells me. When I turn to look at her, she's smiling, just like after it all happened, when she was walking off to first period.

I rub my jaw. I don't feel very cool even though something inside me does like the fact that it turns out she remembers me.

"Thanks."

She lets out a snort. "That guy was such a jerk."

_Now _I'm grinning. She just snorted and doesn't even care. "He totally is. I hear his dad sent him to Switzerland or something."

"Oh my god, Switzerland." She laughs. "I hope his _brain_ freezes and all the stupid cells get destroyed."

I bark out a laugh too and she puts a hand out.

"I'm Bella."

I shake her hand. "Edward …" Then I point up at her head. "Why are you dressed like a bee?"

She laughs like I've just reminded her that she's wearing antennae. She pulls the band off of her head and whips it behind her back.

"I was observing a honey bee hive."

That's ... weird, but ... "Cool."

"It was for Girl Scouts."

I nod. "Yeah, no, I get that."

"I don't normally observe bees or anything," she says as I'm sounding out nick names in my head.

_Bella the bee, Bella-Bee._

I laugh.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just …" I point at her head again, and then snatch my finger back because I remember she's not wearing the headband with the bee antennae anymore. So I change the subject. Maybe she likes Tetris.

"Wanna go play video games or something?"

She shrugs, then her face lights up. "I have a better idea," she says. "I saw this old house on the way over here? It has boards on the windows ... wanna go see what's inside?"

She's smiling like she just told me what I'm getting for Christmas, but I don't think it's a great idea. I peek toward the kitchen, where my mom is chatting up Bella's mother.

"We're supposed to eat dinner soon, I think."

"We have time," she urges. When I hesitate some more she adds with a smile, "Come on, Edward … live a little."

I'm thinking twice about just running off with her, but my mouth can't say no for some reason.

"Okay."

"Great!" she squeaks, and then she makes sure our parents aren't looking before she takes my hand in hers and pulls me out through the front door. "Come on, I know a shortcut."

We run through a couple of backyards that I know for a fact have man-eating dogs chained up in them, and my heart is in my throat when we get to the house. We stop and we both look up at it in awe of the way it just looks so … creepy.

I have goosebumps and I'm not a hundred percent positive this is a good idea, still, but when Bella asks, "You sure you're up for this Edward?" I nod because she's exciting and fun and like no one else I've met before. And I wanna go where she goes.

Always.

Before she leads me up the back staircase to the old abandoned home, she turns to me.

"Ya know what?" she asks me secretly.

"What?"

"I think we could be great friends," she whispers. Then she runs up the stairs and into the house like it's nothing. Maybe it is nothing. But she's right. We could.

"Me too," I say, even though she can't hear me at this point. Then I run up the stairs to go see what we can find together.

Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be great.

* * *

**_In the words of Ms. Spektor_ (not mine):**

**How can I forget your love?  
How can I never see you again?  
There's a time and place  
For one more sweet embrace**

**Oh baby  
How can I begin again?  
How can I try to love someone new?  
Someone who isn't you  
How can our love be true?**

**Time can come and take away the pain  
But I just want my memories to remain  
To hear your voice  
To see your face  
There's not one moment I'd erase**

**So baby  
How can I forget your love?  
How can I never see you again? **

**xxxxx  
**

**That's all she wrote guys. Short and fluffy and just what I needed when mama suggested CEO-ward. Hope you had as much fun as I did with these two.  
Now I'm off to see a story about a New Year's resolution I made.  
THANK YOU so much for taking this tiny ride with me.**

**Big, huge thanks, one last time, to Sue & mama. They are selfless and fucking awesome.  
AND SO ARE YOU.  
**

**xoxoxoxoxo  
**


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